Update: Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport reopens this morning

6:25 a.m. Jan. 16 update: Flights at Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport resumed at 6 a.m. following overnight repairs to cracks in the runway.

During repairs of a 10-foot-by-20-foot section, another area was identified for overnight repairs. The work will be done between midnight and 3 a.m. on Wednesday and will not impact commercial flights.

According to Hawai‘i Department of Transportation, 19 flights — 10 interisland and nine transpacific — were impacted by the runway’s closure.

Airlines were given the notice at 5 a.m. that the airport was cleared to resume operations.

12:35 a.m. Jan. 16 update: Hawai‘i Department of Transportation reports it is on schedule to complete repairs of the damaged runway at Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport by first light this morning.

Officials closed the airport’s sole tarmac at 4:20 p.m. due to cracks. State crews have been working to resurface a 10-foot-by-10-foot area.

Hawai‘i Tourism Authority has been monitoring the situation. The agency authorized funding to address any passenger comfort needs at Kona airport. Partners at the Visitor Aloha Society of Hawaiʻi on each island are standing by to assist further if needed.

8:20 p.m. Jan. 15 update: Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport will remain closed through the night as it is not possible to operate planes around the damaged section of the runway, state officials reported Monday evening.

The runway was closed at around 4:20 p.m. on Monday. Around 5 p.m., no one was lined up to go through security or at the airline counters.

Currently, the Hawai‘i Department of Transportation is also working with contractors to mill and resurface a 10-foot-by-10-foot area. Resurfacing should be completed overnight, which will allow the runway to reopen on Tuesday morning.

Passengers with flights scheduled to arrive or depart from the Kona International Airport on Jan. 15 and 16 are advised to check with their airline before heading to the airport.

6 p.m. Jan.15 update: U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) has been in contact with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in regard to the closure of Kona International Airport.

“He is working with the FAA to help to solve this problem as quickly as possible,” said Schatz, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development.

5:40 p.m. Jan. 15 update: The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation (HDOT) shut down operations at the Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole at 4:20 p.m. today to assess cracks on the runway.

HDOT is measuring the usable runway length and will provide the information to airline operators to determine how to reopen the runway while restricting planes from the damaged areas. HDOT is also working with contractors to mill and resurface the affected area.

HDOT has a project that will reconstruct the entire 11,000-foot runway this year. Cracks had developed and the runway pavement degradation had accelerated due to the recent rains.

Passengers are advised to check with their airline before heading to the airport.

Additional information will be provided as it becomes available.

Original post: The Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole is closed until further notice due to cracks on the runway, according to Hawai‘i Department of Transportation this afternoon.

This is a developing story. More information will be provided as it becomes available.