S ome 59,000 people move to Hawaii each year, and some 10 million visit. Why so many? Why not? The state’s “Aloha spirit,” characterized by the sunny disposition of a tropical paradise, invites tourists and year-round residents alike. Although Hawaii is one of the most remote island chains in the world, the state’s nearly 1.5 million citizens are not so remote from the circumstances of everyday American life that they do not want and need the same staples that everyone who lives on the mainland does. Fortunately for those who live and work in Hawaii— including those working in its approximately 135,000 businesses—leading logistics providers navigate the delivery of goods to and from the islands with a level of efficiency that complements the state’s comfortable ambiance. While this necessitates handling shipping challenges that in some ways are more difficult than those in the other states, technological advances and fleet improvements combine to give logistics professionals the tools they need to make it all work. Enhancing their efforts is a transportation infrastructure that includes a substantial network of airports, ports, and highways to help facilitate logistics operations and fuel economic growth. The network includes five international airports, nearly 2,500 miles of roads and highways, and 10 commercial harbors. The state relies heavily on maritime transport for both
inter-island and international shipments, with Honolulu Harbor being the largest in terms of tonnage. By Air or By Sea: Infrastructure Upgrades Abound Hawaii’s primary airports are Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (Oahu); Kahuli Airport (Maui); Lihue Airport (Kauai); Hilo International Airport on the east side of the Island of Hawaii; and Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport, the primary airport on the Island of Hawaii, located in West Hawaii at Keahole. An airport modernization program established by Gov. Josh Green is designed to enhance Hawaii’s visitor and traveler experience as well as transform the state’s airports into distinctive, functional, world-class facilities. The goals of the modernization program, developed in close cooperation with airlines and other visitor- industry partners, include expanding capacity, improving safety and efficiency, creating jobs, and integrating sustainability principles. In 2025, the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) announced that the state’s airports system raised $849 million in bond financing to fund approximately $600 million of essential projects to upgrade and expand airport infrastructure, including runway repairs, terminal renovations, security enhancements, and construction of new facilities. The funding program also provides for refinancing $233 million of existing debt, generating more
Barbers Point, Oahu, Hawaii Photo courtesy of Lynden
June 2025 • Inbound Logistics 53
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