There is simply no way you could, say, meet a client in Moloka'i in the morning, another for lunch in Kona, and also take care of business back in Honolulu in one day were it not for GA and business flying. If you work in Honolulu, an aircraft at HNL makes that kind of utility possible. Business flyers who would have to drive all the way to Kalaeloa from Honolulu and back would lose much of the fantastic productivity a personal aircraft provides. It is necessary for those who make decisions regarding the course of aviation in Hawai'i have a good understanding of the value of all segments of General Aviation to the community. State planners need to see beyond the airlines and major cargo carriers and acknowledge the contributions and rightful place GA has in the overall scheme.
Hawaiian airports are unique in the country in that they are owned by the state.
The state sets all the rules and rates and has a virtual stranglehold on the system. The plan briefly notes that the forecast of 20,000 GA operations by the year 2000 and 23,000 operations by 2015 has been already been exceeded by the 1997 totals of 37,549 GA operations. The new GA site development wouldn't begin until FY 2004. The plan goes on to make the case for the desirability of locating GA facilities away from air carriers for security and safety. The Hilo Master Plan shows that current GA operations have already exceeded the forecast for 2005 and plans space for hangars for 32 based aircraft and some ten tie downs.