Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport, International airport in Kailua-Kona, United States
Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport is an international airport in Kalaoa on Big Island, built on a lava field from 1801 at Keāhole Point along the western coast. The facility includes a runway of around 11,000 feet (3350 meters) and several separate terminal buildings that remain open to the air.
The airport opened in 1970 under the name Keāhole Airport, after the volcanic terrain was prepared for construction with considerable effort. The work required around three million pounds (1360 metric tons) of dynamite to break up the lava and enable the infrastructure.
The 2017 renaming honors Ellison Onizuka, an astronaut from Hawai'i who died in the Challenger disaster of 1986. His roots and his fate connect the island with space exploration history.
Direct flights link the airport to several cities on the United States mainland and to international destinations, with Hawaiian Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and Alaska Airlines running regular services. The open design of the terminals lets passengers feel the tropical air as they move between arrival and departure areas.
Passengers board aircraft via mobile stairs without using enclosed jet bridges, which keeps contact with the warm island air until the last moment. The three separate terminal buildings are arranged so that wind moves through the waiting areas and provides natural cooling.
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