Page 6 - MidWeek Central - Oct 13, 2021

6 OCTOBER 13, 2021
State Extends Dillingham Airfield Lease Until July 2024
the concerns prompting the transfer of the airfield back to the U.S. Army can be re- solved,” states HDOT direc- tor Jade Butay.
Those seeking to save Dil- lingham Airfield, a general aviation airport on O‘ahu’s North Shore, recently cele- brated a win in their lengthy struggle. The Hawai‘i De- partment of Transportation has revoked its notice to ter- minate the lease of the land from the U.S. Army on Dec. 31, as discussions with the Army and airfield tenants continue to progress.
also known as Kawaihāpai. According to AOPA, the state had ordered tenants to vacate the airport — which has long been used for flight training, skydiving, sight- seeing and glider operations — putting businesses and
save the airfield.
“As a result of the com-
U.S. Rep. Kai Kahele urged Gov. David Ige to maintain civilian use of the airfield. Kahele praised the Sept. 7 HDOT decision to revoke its intent of early termination of the land lease.
Dillingham Airfield. AOPA says it worked closely with area state Sen. Gil Riviere and state Rep. Lauren Mat- sumoto, the United States Parachute Association, the community and the local ad- vocacy group Save Dilling- ham Airfield.
bined efforts of our staff, area legislators, the Army and the tenants operating at Dilling- ham, HDOT is confident that
Among the supporters,
The latest reprieve buys much more time — years rather than months — to sort out a plan for the popular airport’s future, according to airfield advocates.
tourism resources at risk. AOPA Western Pacific re- gional manager Melissa Mc- Caffrey led the association’s grassroots advocacy effort, gathering support among lawmakers and joined by
“The airfield is a criti- cal economic driver for the North Shore and serves as an educational epicenter for aspiring local pilots as well as the general aviation, and skydiving communities,” Kahele states.
“I am happy that during this process they were able to acknowledge our host Hawaiian culture associat- ed with the airfield as well as my ‘ohana’s iwi kūpu- na,” states Thomas Shirai, a North Shore Neighborhood Board member and direct lineal descendant of ances- tors from the area.
The end of the current short-term lease between the U.S. Army and HDOT is set for July 5, 2024. Coordina- tion continues on the possi- bility of a long-term lease for operation of Dillingham Airfield.
more than 450 individuals. “This reprieve from early termination of the lease at Kawaihāpai Airfield gives the stakeholders an excellent opportunity to find solutions to the existing problems, and more importantly, opens the door to set the foundation for a vibrant and growing general aviation community for years to come,” states
State lawmakers also joined the preservation effort, creating a bill that earned strong support from AOPA, making a case for continued civilian use of the airport. According to the association, the airfield provides $12.6 million in direct econom- ic benefit and draws about 50,000 visitors a year while employing 130 people at 11 airport-based business- es. The FAA also urged the state to reconsider evicting
Ben Devine, founder and director of Save Dilling- ham Airfield, is also a mas- ter parachute rigger on the North Shore airfield.
Previously, HDOT sought to terminate its lease of the airport property from the U.S. Army before the agree- ment’s 2024 ending date. However, the Aircraft Own- ers and Pilots Association (AOPA) soon began rallying support for the airfield —
McCaffrey.
Members from HDOT,
Carlye Thompson gets ready to land with her attached Skydive Hawai‘i instructor as catchers Ashley Van Horn and Derek Koi assist at Kawaihāpai Airfield, also known as Dillingham Airfield. ANTHONY CONSILLIO PHOTO
“Everyone at the airfield is committed to improving this shining gem of aviation, now and for all future gener- ations,” Devine states.
U.S. Army, Congress, execu- tive office, state Legislature, AOPA, tenants and com- munity members have been meeting every few weeks for the past nine months as a collaborative effort to help
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