Mokulele Airlines Will Receive Federal Subsidy To Keep Flying To Hana

The Department of Transportation (DOT) announced it would restore federal funding to maintain air service to and from Hana.

The four-year federal subsidy, totaling more than $650,000, to Mokulele Airlines will help the carrier maintain regular air service to the Hana community. Mokulele will provide Hana with 14 nonstop round trips a week to Kahului.

Late last year, DOT took actions that threatened to end subsidized service at Hana. Following calls from U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), DOT restored the federal subsidy to Mokulele, offering the local carrier a four-year EAS contract to continue critical air service to Hana.

The Essential Air Service program (EAS) ensures access to air transportation for small and rural communities that would otherwise not be served.

“I thank the Department of Transportation for hearing us out and restoring federal funding for air service to and from Hana,” said Senator Schatz, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “As an island state, air travel is critical to our economy and our daily lives.”