Plans for New Diamond Head Concourse at HNL

The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation Airports Division (HDOT), Gov. David Ige and representatives from the Airlines Committee of Hawai‘i are excited to announce plans for a new Diamond Head Concourse at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL).

Phase one rendering. Courtesy photo.

The Diamond Head Concourse is expected to cost approximately $1.1 billion to build over the next ten years. During that time, supplementary projects such as the relocation of the employee parking lot and the Wiki-Wiki Baseyard, must be completed before construction on the concourse can begin. The first pre-design planning phase, followed by an environmental assessment to measure the impacts will occur over the next three to four years. Construction is scheduled to begin in five years.

“This is a major investment in the airport, and my administration is committed to improving HNL’s facilities for its passengers, airlines and businesses,” said Gov. Ige. “This project, combined with other airport modernization projects happening now, will result in more gates, faster processing for international travelers and greater efficiency.”

“Under Gov. Ige’s leadership, a number of projects are moving along. The new Diamond Head Concourse will help ease the current congestion during peak times and provide a much needed increase in airport capacity that will be necessary over the next decade,” said Matt Shelby, co-chair, Airlines Committee of Hawai‘i.

The Diamond Head Concourse, while still in the preliminary planning stages, is conceptualized with the following features:

• New concourse of approximately 800,000 square feet to replace the existing building
• Between 12-14 wide-body gates in initial phase and expandable to 21 gates
• New Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facility with 200,000 square feet and the ability to process 4,000 arriving passengers per hour
• An improved security screening checkpoint and baggage screening facilities for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
• New parking area for airport employees

“A project of this size and scope makes it clear why we need to create an Airport Corporation,” Gov. Ige said. “I fully support the Senate’s bill to establish the Hawai‘i Airports Corporation, as it will allow for quicker decision making and a streamlined process for budgeting and procurement. Most importantly, it will enable the state to bring our airports up to international standards and prevent Hawai‘i from falling farther behind other leading global destinations.”

The existing Diamond Head Concourse, which consists of six wide-body gates, has served domestic and international flights for nearly 50 years. Considerable changes have occurred in the aviation industry since this concourse was originally constructed. The HDOT and airlines believe it is necessary to modernize and expand HNL’s facilities to satisfy the increasing demands of the aviation industry and the 20 million visitors and residents the airport serves.

Funding for the project is provided through concessions and airline revenue. HDOT is self-sustaining and does not receive state general funds to operate, meaning traditional taxpayer dollars like income tax will not be used on this project. Instead HDOT generates its own revenue to pay for construction costs, operating expenses and salaries. Primary sources of funding include landing fees, terminal rentals, parking revenue, rental car customer facility charges, passenger facility charges and federal grants.