Kalaupapa Airport serves the residents of Kalaupapa Settlement and visitors wishing to tour Kalaupapa National Historic Park. It is served by commuter planes.
Kalaupapa Airport was opened to operations in 1934 and was served by Inter-Island Airways, now Hawaiian Airlines, with Sikorsky S-38, eight-passenger amphibious aircraft. Service was discontinued by Hawaiian because the field was too small and too rough for use by Sikorsky S-43s and Douglas DC-3s.
In December 1940, plans and cost estimates for a 3,000-foot flight strip were forwarded to Washington, D.C. and in July 1941, an allotment of $55,000 was granted for its construction. In November 1941, the Governor and the Superintendent of Public Works signed a contract to maintain and operate the airport when complete. On December 7, 1941, when World War II began in Hawaii, the contract had been let and work was ready to start. All work was cancelled.
During World War II, Gambo Flying Service was authorized by the military to furnish emergency transportation of medical supplies, etc. direct to Kalaupapa.
After the war, Andrew Flying Service and Cockett Airlines began serving Kalaupapa on a daily basis with Beechcraft and Cessna planes.
In 1955, the airport consisted of 17 acres, and had one paved runway, 5-23, which was 50-feet wide and 1,658-feet long. The airport was served by Andrew Flying Service and Cockett Airlines. Facilities included a passenger terminal building, paved runway, wind socks and field maintenance.
A $9.2 million project to upgrade Kalaupapa Airport was completed in September 1992.
For more information visit Hawaii Aviation History: Kalaupapa Airport.
