KAHULUI, Hawai’i (KHON2) — A big change is coming to Kahului Airport on Maui, where long security lines have frustrated travelers for years.
The State broke ground on a new TSA checkpoint on May 29 to help ease the wait.
The Hawai’i Department of Transportation kicked off construction for a new, two-story TSA checkpoint at Kahului airport on Thursday — it is a project aimed at cutting down the hours-long security wait times that currently plague travelers.
“Nothing is easier to explain than this project, because anybody who has gone through this airport in recent years understands what a relief this checkpoint will be,” said Senator Brian Schatz.
Schatz joined State officials at the groundbreaking ceremony, where the focus was improving the travel experience for everyone. State Senator Lynn DeCoite said it is for both residents and visitors.
“As the chair of Economic Development and Tourism, it’s to create balance. It’s to have that welcoming feeling of ‘Okay I coming from work, I got to make a trip, I want to get through TSA as fast as I can,’” DeCoite said.
The new checkpoint at the south end of the ticket lobby will add several new screening lanes, Department of Transportation director Ed Sniffen said it will be a major upgrade for the facility — though there will be a period in the fall where only the new checkpoint will be open.
“For a little while in September, when we finish this one, we’ll shut down the main checkpoint, refresh that area, make sure we air condition it, make sure everybody stays more comfortable, and take care of the equipment a lot better,” Sniffen said. “Main checkpoint with seven lanes, and there’s a northern checkpoint with two lanes. So, there are nine lanes total that we have now. This one that we’re building now is going to be six new lanes that are coming through. So all told, when everything’s done, we will have 15 lanes for this airport, which will be tremendous.”
Just under 4.5 million travelers pass through security at Kahului Airport every single year, residents said that adding another TSA checkpoint is long overdue.
“Yeah, way overdue! Because sometimes just, you know, when it’s tourist season it’s real busy and the line goes all the way to the street sometimes,” said Wailuku resident Les Chung.
Check out more news from around Hawaii
About $30 million of the $46 million checkpoint is being covered by the federal government, all 15 lanes are expected to be operational by the end of 2025.