Each island consists of multiple districts and much of them are rural and somewhat isolated from the general population centers. It is for this reason that a number of small airports have popped up over the course of time to service these areas that would require a very long time to drive to via automobile.
All of these smaller airports can only accommodate much smaller planes and the rides on the commuter aircraft that travel to these airports provide some of the most scenic flights you will find in Hawaii. In many cases these flight that are simply carrying passengers from one place to another often provide the extra benefit of giving you what is essentially a fantastic air tour of the area. The trip to Hana airport which is featured in the photo above is one such flight that is well worth it for the sightseeing aspect of the views you will be flying over just to get there. The same is definitely true for the Kalaupapa Airport which flies in and out of Father Damien’s Leper Colony as this is located on and isolated peninsula surrounded by huge cliffs that can only be accessed by air, by sea or by a narrow winding trail that winds its way down the 2000′ escarpments to the peninsula.
Other small but scenic airports in the state include Kamuela, Kapalua, Kapolei, Hanapepe, Hawi and Mokuleia. Not everyone is comfortable with landing at these isolated airports in small planes as the winds and climatic conditions make these landings often seem a bit more bumpy or wind-battered than normal commercial jetliner flights that land at the big airports. On one occasion I can remember flying into Kalaupapa Airport and just at the very moment we were to touchdown the pilot thought the crosswinds were too difficult and he immediately and abruptly pulled the plane up and we circled back around to land from the opposite direction
Hana Airport is one of our many Small Airports in Hawaii
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Of the eight major islands in Hawaii, six of them have airports: Big Island, Oahu, Kauai, Maui, Molokai and Lanai. You are likely aware of the major airports on each island such as Honolulu International Airport, Lihue Airport, Kahului Airport and Kona International Airport but there are a number of much small commuter type airports that are interspersed among the islands.