Hawaii airports, travelers grapple with nationwide ground stop

The Federal Aviation Administration’s nationwide ground stop is affecting air travel to and from Hawaii, state Department of Transportation officials said.

While some national reports suggested certain parts of the country were not affected, Shelly Kunishige, a DOT spokesperson, confirmed in an email to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that Hawaii is included in the ground stop.

Kunishige said interisland flights are not directly affected by the ground stop. However, she said, some delays may have occurred “as we moved aircraft in anticipation of incoming flights that had departed prior to the issuance of the ground stop.”

The FAA’s nationwide ground stop started just before 11 a.m. in Hawaii.

Across Hawaii’s airports, Kunishige said the operational impact has been relatively limited. But she said that HDOT is preparing to accommodate about 80 aircraft that could not continue on their scheduled routes during the ground stop and required parking space at island airports.

HDOT is recommending that travelers contact their airline directly for the latest information on flight status and possible schedule changes.

To support passengers during delays, HDOT is coordinating with airport concessionaires to ensure food and beverage services remained available.

Hawaiian Air spokesman Alex Da Silva said earlier today in statement, “A nationwide ground stop issued this morning by the Federal Aviation Administration is impacting certain Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines flights.

“We are continuing to operate neighbor island flights across Hawaii, international flights departing and arriving at Honolulu, as well as some West Coast-Hawaii routes. This is an evolving situation, and we encourage guests to check their flight status before heading to the airport.

“For guests who need to adjust their travel plans, we have a flexible travel policy in place. Once the ground stop is lifted, it will take time to safely return our operation to schedule.”

International flights serving Hawaii are not subject to the FAA ground stop.

However, Kunishige noted that some international routes have experienced impacts related to a SpaceX launch, which has affected air traffic routing in some areas. Reuters reported that SpaceX launched its Starship spacecraft from Texas today and its “Super Heavy” booster, for reasons not immediately clear, was diverted from its return flight path to a fixed point over the Gulf of Mexico and momentarily hovered in the air before exploding a short distance over the sea surface.