HONOLULU (KHON2) — Honolulu’s airport is set to undergo a wave of upgrades, promising travelers a more comfortable and cultural experience.
It’s the gateway to paradise, but plans are underway to make Honolulu’s airport feel like part of the vacation.
“Whether it’s inter-island, or whether you’re going to trans Pacific, you gotta fly. You want to make sure that our experiences, our collective experiences, here are better for everybody,” said Ed Sniffen, Hawaii Department of Transportation Director.
Likely one of the first and biggest changes you will see in the mauka terminal is the expansion of the Hawaiian Airlines lounge, which will be five times the size of the old lounge.
The new premium lounge is set to open in 2027 and is part of Alaska Air Group’s strategic plan to consolidate lobby space following the merger with Hawaiian Airlines.
Beyond the terminals, Lobbies 5 through 8 will be undergoing $60 million in renovations, including relocating the baggage handling system to the back of the ticketing area.
“It gives us a better, spacious feel in the front side, more of a better operation for the airlines themselves, and just better experience overall,” said Sniffen.
And new artwork on the walls will tell the story of Hawaii, addressing critics who say the airport lacks any strong cultural identity.
A line up of recognized restaurants and bars are touching down, including Panda Express at the end of May, Alan Wong’s, MW, Aloha Plate and Waialua Bar and Cafe next year.
Also coming soon, a build-out of the Diamond Head concourse to match the improvements at the mauka concourse.
Behind the scenes, critical systems are getting attention, too. About half of the $1.78 billion in the capital improvement budget the state legislature earmarked for airports next year, will go towards airfield improvements.
“They’ve done a lot of emergency repairs that we had to do because of the failing pavements, and we want to make sure that for the next 35 to 50 years, we don’t have to worry about it anymore,” said Sniffen.
Ten million dollars will be used to upgrade airport rescue and firefighting operations, that can be used to support local firefighters in an emergency.
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“There’s bigger planes coming in with more fuel. We got to make sure we’re ready to be safe in these areas. and that’s statewide,” said Sniffen.
The DOT is also looking into ways to improve technology at the airport to stop it from feeling like a layover from the past.