Līhue Airport is a state-owned public-use airport located in the Līhue CDP on the southeast coast of the island of Kauai in Kauaʻi County, Hawaii, United States, two nautical miles east of the center of the CDP."Lihue CDP, Hawaii ." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on May 21, 2009.
The airport does not serve as a hub for any airline carrier. Numerous inter-island flights are available daily on Hawaiian Airlines and Southwest Airlines. Major US and Canadian airlines operate flights on narrow-body aircraft to major cities in western mainland North America.
The airport is mostly un-walled and open-air, and the check-in is completely outside. The airport is the primary gateway to Kauai for visitors (especially tourists), and has several rental car facilities. Five motion pictures have filmed scenes at the Līhue Airport: Blue Hawaii, Honeymoon in Vegas, Six Days Seven Nights, Soul Surfer, and The Descendants. In a deleted scene of the film Lilo & Stitch; Stitch, Nani, Jumba, and Pleakley hijacked a Boeing 747 jet from this airport, scraping against buildings through downtown Honolulu. After the September 11 attacks, with only a few weeks left in production, the climax was completely reworked to have them use Jumba's spacecraft, and through the Kauaʻi mountains.
It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021, in which it is categorized as a small-hub primary commercial service facility.
Facilities and aircraft Līhue Airport covers an area of at an elevation of above mean sea level. It has two asphalt paved runways designated 3/21 and 17/35, each measuring . The airport also has one helipad measuring .
On a typical day, certain gates are used for certain airlines to arrive in and depart out of the Līhue Airport. Gates 9-10 are mostly used by United Airlines, flying Boeing 737 MAX 8 and Boeing 757-200 aircraft. Alaska Airlines occasionally uses Gate 9 as well. Gates 7-8 are mostly used by Delta Air Lines using the Airbus A321neo, Alaska Airlines using Boeing 737 aircraft, Southwest Airlines and WestJet. Hawaiian Airlines uses both Boeing 717 and Airbus A321 aircraft for gates 3-4, and 5-6 for their inter-island and US mainland flights, according to the airline staff. American Airlines mostly uses Gate 3 and occasionally Gate 4, using the Airbus A321 to fly in and out of Līhue. All gate areas are air-conditioned.
Hawaiian Airlines operates one Premier Lounge at the airport, open to first class travelers.
In July 2024, major construction related to the relocation of Runway 03/21 to comply with federal safety standards began. This includes displacing Runway 03/21 455 feet to the west and extending the end of the runway by 855 feet. Improvements to taxiways, Runway 17/35, and modernizing LED runway and taxiway signage are also part of the project. It is expected to be completed in December 2026.
Airlines and destinations
Statistics
Passenger numbers
Top domestic destinations + Busiest domestic routes from LIH(July 2025 – June 2026) Rank City Passengers Airlines 1 Honolulu, HI 741,274 Hawaiian, Southwest 2 Los Angeles, CA 243,239 American, Delta, Hawaiian, Southwest, United 3 Seattle, WA 154,326 Alaska, Delta 4 Kahului, HI 125,373 Hawaiian, Southwest 5 San Francisco, CA 116,278 Alaska, United 6 Oakland, CA 94,832 Hawaiian, Southwest 7 Phoenix, AZ 64,812 American 8 Denver, CO 58,149 United 9 Las Vegas, NV 56,532 Southwest 10 Kailua-Kona, Hawaii 36,451 Hawaiian
+ Busiest international routes from LIH(July 2025 – June 2026) Rank City Passengers Airlines 1 Vancouver, Canada 17,353 Westjet
Airline market share + Busiest airlines serving LIH (July 2025 – June 2026) Rank Airline Passengers Share 1 Alaska Airlines 1,224,344 33.7% 2 Hawaiian Airlines 846,061 23.3% 3 Southwest Airlines 635,704 17.5% 4 United Airlines 410,881 11.3% 5 American Airlines 259,616 7.1% 6 Other 258,800 7.1%
Public transport The Kauai Bus route 100/200 connects the airport to downtown Līhue.
Accidents and incidents On January 14, 2008, an Alpine Air Express Beechcraft 1900C-1 carrying 4,200 lbs. of mail crashed 11 km S of Līhue Airport due to spatial disorientation and loss of situational awareness in darkness, along with monitoring cockpit instruments and an aircraft ahead. The sole occupant, the pilot, was killed. On December 15, 2022, a Beechcraft Model 77 Skipper belonging to the Civil Air Patrol crashed into a chain link fence shortly after takeoff. The pilot and his young son suffered non-life threatening injuries.
See also List of airports in Hawaii
References
External links
Līhue Airport at Hawaii Department of Transportation