Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (IATA: HNL, ICAO: PHNL, FAA LID: HNL), also known as Honolulu International Airport, is the primary airport serving the U.S. state of Hawaii. The airport is named after Honolulu native and Medal of Honor recipient Daniel Inouye (1924–2012), who represented Hawaii in the United States Senate from 1963 until his death in 2012. The airport is in the Honolulu census-designated place three miles (five kilometers) northwest of Honolulu's central business district. The airport covers 4,220 acres (1,710 hectares), more than 1% of the entire Oahu Island.
Daniel K. Inouye Airport offers nonstop flights to many places in North America, Asia, and Oceania. The airport serves as the main hub of Hawaiian Airlines and is also a base for Aloha Air Cargo. The airport is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021, in which it is categorized as a large-hub primary commercial service facility.
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History
The airport opened on March 21, 1927, as John Rodgers Airport (aka Rodgers Field), after World War I naval officer John Rodgers. It was funded by the territorial legislature and the Chamber of Commerce, and was the first full airport in Hawaii; aircraft had previously been limited to small landing strips, fields, and seaplane docks. From 1939 to 1943, the adjacent Keehi Lagoon was dredged for use by seaplanes, and the dredged soil was moved to HNL to provide more space for conventional planes.
The U.S. military grounded all civil aircraft and took over all civil airports after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and Rodgers Field was designated Naval Air Station Honolulu. The Navy built a control tower and terminal building, and some commercial traffic was allowed during daylight hours. Rodgers Field was returned to the Territory of Hawaii in 1946. At the time, at 4,019 acres (1,626 hectares), it was one of the largest airports in the United States, with four paved land runways and three seaplane runways.
John Rodgers Airport was renamed Honolulu Airport in 1947; "International" being added to the name in 1951. Being near the center of the Pacific Ocean it was a stop for many transpacific flights. By 1950, it was the third-busiest airport in the United States in terms of aircraft operations, and its 13,097-foot (3,992 m) runway was the world's longest in 1953. In February 1954, flagship carrier of Japan, Japan Airlines began the direct flight service to Honolulu on its flights between Tokyo and San Francisco. In summer 1959, Qantas began the first jet service to Honolulu on its flights between Australia and California. Qantas introduced these jet flights with Boeing 707 aircraft operating a routing of Sydney – Fiji – Honolulu – San Francisco. Aeronautical engineer and airline consultant Frank Der Yuen advised in the design of the original building and founded its aerospace museum.
The original terminal building on the southeast side of runways 4 was replaced by the John Rodgers Terminal, which was dedicated on August 22, 1962, and opened on October 14, 1962. From 1970 through 1978, the architect Vladimir Ossipoff designed a terminal modernization project that remodeled this terminal and created several additions, which included the Diamond Head Concourse in 1970, the Ewa Concourse in 1972, and the Central Concourse in 1980.
Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) used Honolulu as a transpacific hub for many years, initially as a connecting point between the West Coast and Polynesia (Fiji, New Caledonia, and New Zealand) in 1946, followed by service to Japan and China through Midway Island and Wake Island from 1947. By 1960, Pan American was serving the airport with Boeing 707 jets. Pan Am flight number 1, operating a 707, flew a westbound routing of San Francisco – Honolulu – Wake Island – Tokyo – Hong Kong and continuing on to New York City via stops in Asia and Europe. The airline also operated nonstop 707 service to Portland, Oregon (continuing to Seattle) and Los Angeles. Pan Am also had direct 707 flights from Honolulu to Calcutta, Guam, Jakarta, Karachi, Manila, Rangoon, Saigon, and Singapore in 1960. United Airlines was flying nonstop Douglas DC-6 "Mainliner" service from San Francisco in 1947 and by 1961 was operating Douglas DC-8 jet service nonstop from Los Angeles and San Francisco with direct one-stop DC-8 flights from both Chicago and New York City. British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines (BCPA) began serving the airport during the mid-1940s with Douglas DC-4 aircraft flying a routing of Sydney – Auckland – Fiji – Canton Island – Honolulu – San Francisco – Vancouver, B.C. In 1950, Northwest Airlines was operating nonstop flights from Seattle with Boeing 377 Stratocruiser propliners; by 1961, Northwest was flying daily Douglas DC-8 jet service on a round trip routing of New York City – Chicago – Seattle – Portland, OR – Honolulu. Also in 1950, Canadian Pacific Air Lines (which later became CP Air) was operating service between western Canada and Australia with a routing of Vancouver – Honolulu – Canton Island – Fiji – Sydney.
Modernization and history since 2006
After thirty years, Ossipoff's "forward-looking and flexible design" for the Overseas Terminal had become quite dated. A 2007 retrospective book on Ossipoff's architecture noted that his terminal design was "facing the challenges of new standards of accessibility, comfort, and security", and was therefore likely to be altered or obliterated in the near future.
On March 24, 2006, Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle unveiled a $2.3 billion modernization program for Hawaii airports over a 12-year period, with $1.7 billion budgeted for Honolulu International Airport. The plan involves implementing short-term projects within the first five years to improve passenger service and increase security and operational efficiencies.
As part of the modernization, flight display monitors throughout the airport were upgraded, new food and beverage vendors were added, and a new parking garage across from the international arrival terminal was completed. An international arrivals corridor with moving sidewalks built atop the breezeway leading to the Ewa Concourse was completed in 2010.
In 2011, Hawaiian Airlines renovated the check-in lobby of the Interisland Terminal, replacing the traditional check-in counters with six circular check-in islands in the middle of the lobbies, which can be used for inter-island, mainland, and international flights. This renovation project was fully funded by Hawaiian Airlines and not a part of the modernization program.
By 2012, Hawaiian Airlines was re-establishing Honolulu International Airport as a connecting hub between the United States mainland and the Asia-Pacific region. That year, according to a Massachusetts Institute of Technology study, the airport had 24% fewer domestic departure flights than it did in 2007.
During the 2016 legislative session, the Hawaii state legislature passed a resolution requesting that the U.S. Department of Transportation rename Honolulu International Airport for the late U.S. senator and Medal of Honor recipient Daniel Inouye. The new name first appeared in Federal Aviation Administration documentation on April 27, 2017, and the airport was officially renamed in a ceremony at the airport on May 30, 2017.
Facilities
The airport has four major runways, which it operates in conjunction with the adjacent Hickam Air Force Base. The principal runway designated 8R/26L, also known as the Reef Runway, was the world's first major runway constructed entirely offshore. Completed in 1977, the Reef Runway was a designated alternate landing site for the Space Shuttle.
In addition to the four paved runways, Daniel K. Inouye International Airport has two designated offshore waterways designated 8W/26W and 4W/22W for use by seaplanes.
Terminals
Daniel K. Inouye International Airport has 60 gates (54 jet-way gates and 6 hard stands) in three terminals. Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 are connected post-security, however, passengers walking from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2 must pass through a USDA agricultural inspection station for carry-on luggage.
Terminal 1 (formerly known as the "Interisland Terminal") opened in 1993 and has 25 gates. The $130 million 8-gate terminal was the largest construction project undertaken at that time by the State Airports Division and replaced an earlier terminal built in 1961. In 1995, a 5-gate extension to the terminal, which also featured a new post-security walkway to Terminal 2, opened.
On May 30, 2018, the state airports division broke ground on the Mauka Concourse after years of delays. This new concourse adds space for 11 narrow-body aircraft or six wide-body aircraft and also features a post-security walkway to the rest of Terminal 1 and a new six-lane TSA security checkpoint. The Mauka Concourse opened for passenger use on August 27, 2021.
Continuing the improvements to Terminal 1, Hawaiian Airlines spent $14 million on a new four-lane security checkpoint located at the makai end of the terminal. This new security checkpoint opened on February 18, 2023, and replaced the security checkpoint that was previously located in the center of the terminal.
Terminal 2 (formerly known as the "Overseas Terminal") opened in 1962 and has 29 gates. Terminal 2 is the largest terminal at HNL and is the only terminal which can take international arrivals. From 1970 through 1978, architect Vladimir Ossipoff designed a terminal modernization project that remodeled this terminal and created several additions, which included the Diamond Head Concourse in 1970, the Ewa Concourse in 1972, and the Central Concourse in 1980. Two 3-jetway gates to accommodate an Airbus A380 (C4 and C9) were added to the terminal in 2018; this was done to support All Nippon Airways's A380 flights between Tokyo's Narita Airport and Honolulu.
Terminal 3 opened in 2018 between the Delta and United Cargo facilities on the Diamond Head side of the airport. The terminal was originally a single-story facility located north of Terminal 1 adjacent to Nimitz Highway, but this older facility was closed on June 1, 2018, for demolition in order to make way for the Mauka Concourse expansion of Terminal 1. Originally a larger replacement commuter terminal was planned to be built on the Diamond Head side of the airport, but those plans were ultimately canceled. This was largely due to bankruptcy of three of the four airlines occupying the terminal and the higher-than-expected cost of the project.
Ground transportation
The airport is accessible from both Interstate H-1 at exit 16 and Nimitz Highway.
TheBus W Line serves the airport on the ground level, at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport Skyline Station. This limited-stop route connects the airport to Downtown Honolulu, Ala Moana Center, and Waikiki via Nimitz Highway/Ala Moana Boulevard. Routes 40, 42, and 51 run on Nimitz Highway within walking distance of the airport, serving the Skyline station directly on late-night trips.
Skyline, the light metro system serving the City and County of Honolulu, provides service to airport via the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport station after Segment 2 opened in October 2025. The station is between terminal 1 & terminal 2 near the international parking garage.
The Wiki Wiki Shuttle, the airport's free shuttle bus, provides service between the ticket lobbies of all three terminals, and between the concourses of Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 post-security.
A 1,800,000 square feet (170,000 m2), $377 million consolidated rental car facility (CONRAC) opened on December 1, 2021, consolidating all rental car companies into one shared facility of 4,500 parking spaces across five levels.
Airlines and destinations
Fixed-base operators
A number of fixed-base operators are located along Lagoon Drive on the airport's southeastern perimeter. While these focus on general aviation services, there are a few small passenger airline operations that operate from these facilities, rather than from the main terminal complex. Air tour flights typically depart from this area as well.
Statistics
Accidents and incidents
On March 22, 1955, a United States Navy Douglas R6D-1 Liftmaster transport on descent to a landing in darkness and heavy rain strayed off course and crashed into Pali Kea Peak in the southern part of Oahu's Waianae Range, killing all 66 people on board. It remains the worst air disaster in Hawaii's history and the deadliest heavier-than-air accident in the history of U.S. naval aviation.
On July 22, 1962, Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 301, a Bristol Britannia 314 crashed while it attempted a "go-around". 27 of the 40 passengers and crew on board were killed.
Vickers Viscount N7410 of Aloha Airlines was damaged beyond repair when it collided on the ground with Douglas DC-9-31 N906H of Hawaiian Airlines on June 27, 1969.
On August 8, 1971, Vickers Viscount N7415 of Aloha Airlines was damaged beyond economic repair when a fire broke out upon landing.
Pan Am Flight 830: a Boeing 747-121, a bomb exploded aboard as the aircraft prepared for approach to Honolulu from Tokyo on August 11, 1982. One teenager was killed and 15 others were injured. The aircraft did not disintegrate, and made a safe emergency landing in Honolulu.
United Airlines Flight 811: a Boeing 747 carrying three flight crew, 15 cabin crew, and 337 passengers from Honolulu to Auckland on February 24, 1989, suffered rapid decompression when a cargo door separated from the aircraft while climbing to cruise altitude. Nine passengers were swept from the aircraft. The plane returned to Honolulu.
Bojinka plot: a plot discovered by United States and Filipino intelligence authorities after a fire in a Manila apartment, included in its first phase the planned detonation of bombs aboard several flights inbound to, or outbound from, Honolulu on January 21, 1995. The Bojinka plot later developed into the September 11 attacks.
On February 2, 2016, the pilot of a Cessna 337 Skymaster, making a trip to nearby Kalaeloa Airport from Honolulu International Airport, discovered his landing gear would not extend. After holding for two hours to burn fuel, he made an emergency water landing in Sea Lane 4/22 off Lagoon Drive. The 68-year-old pilot did not require transportation to the hospital.