Summary

  • Mokulele Airlines has grounded most of its fleet due to documentation discrepancies, leaving travelers stranded in Hawaii.
  • The airline is working to inspect aircraft for safety concerns and prioritize transport for those with medical needs or connecting flights.
  • Previous incidents with engine replacements and flight cancellations have caused frustration for frequent travelers.

Regional Hawaiian carrier Mokulele Airlines has grounded most of its fleet this weekend due to potential discrepancies in the documentation of landing gear servicing. The grounding of aircraft has many travelers stranded across Hawaii

According to a letter provided to Hawaii Public Radio by Mokulele’s President of Hawaii Operations, Louis Saint-Cyr, the airline had identified potential discrepancies in documentation. As a precautionary measure to the concern, the airline abruptly decided to ground certain aircraft until thorough inspections could occur.

mokulele
Photo: prayitnophotography | Flickr

Residents of Moloka’i use Mokulele Airlines as their only commercial operator to neighboring islands. The grounding of many aircraft in the airline’s fleet has also stranded passengers in O’ahu and Maui, and they will now look for boat transport to get back home to Moloka’i.

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Cancelled flights across the network

With flights across Molokai’s network in disarray, passengers have seen their travel plans affected to and from

Honolulu International Airport

, Kahului, Kapalua, Hana,

Kona

, Waimea, Moloka’i, Kalaupapa, and Lāna’i. The Hawai’i Department of Transportation noted that Molokai was able to operate at half capacity on Sunday, but it has now stopped taking reservations altogether.

While the airline facilitates a thorough safety review, priority for transport will be given to those with medical concerns or mainland connecting flights. Saint-Cyr released this statement to Hawaii Public Radio on Monday:

“The Mokulele team has been working diligently to safely and efficiently return our fleet back to service through their maintenance checks. Though we are not yet at full capacity, we are close to having all flights running on their regular schedules. We have successfully re-accommodated the vast majority of our passengers, and we greatly appreciate the continued flexibility and understanding from the Hawai’i community.”

Years of frustration with Mokulele

While the recent grounding has affected many passengers with immediate flight plans, this is not surprising for frequent airline travelers. Residents who rely on the airline’s services have identified that recently, the airline needed to ground its

Saab 340B

aircraft due to the unavailability of a replacement engine. Following this weekend’s news, the airline has advised that if any passengers cannot be accommodated, they will issue a flight voucher for future round-trip journeys.

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Mokulele Airlines is a subsidiary of Southern Airways and Surf Air Mobility. The airline is now under new management, and its involvement with Surf Air looks to expand regional air travel through electric flights. In July 2023, Surf Air Mobility went live on the stock market through a direct New York Stock Exchange listing.

The airline’s fleet consists of Cessna 208B Grand Caravan EX and Saab 340B Plus. It has orders for 15 Regent Viceroy, an electric ground effect vehicle.

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