Hilo International Airport Guide

Hilo International Airport serves the windward, eastern side of Hawaii Island, on the edge of Hilo Bay. The Hawaiian name is Kahua Mokulele Kauaina o Hilo. The airport was dedicated on 11 February 1928 and was called General Lyman Field from 1943 until 1989. It covers 1,007 acres at an elevation of 38 feet and is owned by the State of Hawaii.

Two asphalt runways are in use. Runway 8/26 is 9,800 feet long and handles nearly all airline traffic, including aircraft as large as a Boeing 747. Runway 3/21 is 5,600 feet long and serves mainly general aviation and commuter flights. The airline terminal is made up of three connected buildings of about 220,000 square feet, with seven passenger loading bridges. In 2025 the airport handled 1,474,487 passengers and 36,232 aircraft operations. Traffic peaked at 1,669,314 passengers in 1997.

Scheduled flights are interisland. Hawaiian Airlines flies to Honolulu and Kahului, and Southwest Airlines serves Honolulu, with Las Vegas announced for August 2026. Hilo has had no nonstop service to the US mainland for much of the past four decades. Most visitors arrive by rental car, since the airport is the usual starting point for trips to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.