Jan. 16 (UPI) — The Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport is set to re-open after airport officials said they found cracks in the runway on Monday afternoon. An official time frame has not been announced.
As of Tuesday morning, several flights out of the Hawaiian airport were delayed, according to Flight Aware.
Passengers flying out of or into Kona airport on Tuesday were urged to check with their airlines.
The Hawaii Department of Transportation closed the Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport on Monday afternoon around 4:30 p.m. and announced at 7 p.m. that it was canceling all remaining flights into or out of Kona for the day.
One of the passengers affected, Anna Cau told Hawaii News Now airline staff told them they would be delayed for an hour, before cancelling the flight completely.
“They have finally announced they are going to close the airport. There are hundreds of people at the airport. We are fortunate to have friends that we are going to be staying with, but there are many here who don’t have accommodations and don’t have a way to get to Hilo,” she said.
As crews repaired the runway on Monday, several flights to the island were delayed or rerouted.
Repairs at the airport have been ongoing since 2017.