Makani Kai Air, was an FAA Part 135 scheduled air carrier based in
Honolulu
Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
,
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...
. It was a subsidiary of Schuman Aviation Company as well as
Mokulele Airlines
Southern Airways Express, doing business as Mokulele Airlines, is an American commuter airline operating in Hawaii. The airline operates scheduled inter-island and charter flights among all Hawaiian islands with airports. Mokulele Airlines was ...
,
Overview
The airline offered regularly scheduled passenger service between
Honolulu International Airport
Daniel K. Inouye International Airport , also known as Honolulu International Airport, is the main airport of Oahu, Hawaii.Hoolehua Airport, Molokai, Kalaupapa Airport, Molokai, Kahului, Maui and Princeville Airport, Kauai. The scheduled service between Kalaupapa to Hoolehua Airport was among the shortest scheduled flights in the world.
Schuman Aviation Company, Ltd., also offers charter airplane and helicopter services statewide. Another subsidiary, Magnum Helicopters, offers doors-off tours of the island of
Oahu
Oahu () ( Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over two-thirds of the population of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The island of O†...
.
Makani Kai Air began operations in 1998. It began regularly scheduled passenger service between Honolulu and Kalaupapa in 2009. In 2011, Makani Kai won the
Essential Air Service
Essential Air Service (EAS) is a U.S. government program enacted to guarantee that small communities in the United States, which had been served by certificated airlines prior to deregulation in 1978, maintained commercial service. Its aim is t ...
contract for Kalaupapa and commenced service under the contract in January 2012. In June 2013, Makani Kai began regular daily service to "topside" Molokai at the Hoolehua Airport. On May 1, 2019, Makani Kai Air began twice-daily service between Honolulu International Airport and Princeville Airport on Kauai. On August 1, 2019, Makani Kai Air began air service between Kahului, Maui, and Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii.
On June 3, 2020, Makani Kai announced it would be merging with
Mokulele Airlines
Southern Airways Express, doing business as Mokulele Airlines, is an American commuter airline operating in Hawaii. The airline operates scheduled inter-island and charter flights among all Hawaiian islands with airports. Mokulele Airlines was ...
, another commuter airline operating in Hawaii, with the new airline operating under the Mokulele brand. Makani Kai owner Richard Schuman oversees the combined airline. Schuman Aviation Company's other subsidiaries, Magnum Helicopters, and Hawaii Aviation Services are not part of the merger.
Destinations
Makanai Kai Air served the following destinations prior to the merger: