Kona International Airport could soon be receiving international arrivals under a plan to staff U.S. Customs officers at 10 foreign points of departure.
The Department of Homeland Security announced on Friday a plan to begin negotiations to bring air preclearance operations to Narita, Japan, and nine other new foreign airports. The program allows travelers to be processed at their point of origin to avoid long lines at U.S. airports, and also paves the way for Hawaii airports without international arrivals facilities — including Kona — to begin accepting international flights.
Included in the plan are airports in the United Kingdom, Spain, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Turkey, Belgium and the Dominican Republic.
Hawaii’s U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, co-chairman of the Senate Tourism Caucus, and Gov. David Ige have pressed for the staffing as a way to bring more arrivals to Kona, Hilo and other smaller Hawaii airports.
“We’ve been pushing for preclearance for two years, and it has gone from pie in the sky to reality,” Schatz said in a press release. “This is the first step toward making it a lot easier for Japanese visitors to come to Hawaii. Although work remains to be done, this also has enormous implications in terms of our efforts in establishing direct flights from Japan to Kona.”
Hawaii tourism officials and lawmakers who have asked for the customs agents in foreign airports lauded the development Friday, with Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono saying the plan should boost jobs and strengthen ties with Japan.
“This is wonderful news for Hawaii. Japan is Hawaii’s largest international market,” said Ige in a statement. “Easing air access to the islands is important to facilitating travel to the islands, especially as we experience a decline in visitor arrivals from Japan. Preclearance would help alleviate congestion at the Honolulu International Airport, the state’s only international airport and the fourth busiest international port of entry in the country. This would give our valued customers a better travel experience and encourage repeat visits to Hawaii.”
Japanese tourism comprised 18 percent of Hawaii’s visitors last year, bringing more than $2.5 billion to the state. Customs and Border Protection currently operates 15 preclearance locations in six foreign countries.
If international flights to Kona resume, it would be the first time in more than five years. The lack of a U.S. Customs facility has hampered county efforts to lure international flights to Kona, reducing the number of Japanese tourists flying directly to the Big Island.
Because Narita is a major international hub for other Asian countries, the preclearance will help boost arrivals from countries that transit through Japan, according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority. Some 60 percent of Japanese visitors — whose per-person spending ranks near the top of any visiting country — end up returning to Hawaii, HTA officials said.
“Preclearance at Narita, one of the busiest international airports in Asia, will provide greater ease of access and save time for travelers departing Japan when they arrive in the Hawaiian Islands,” said George Szigeti, HTA president and CEO.
With five to 10 charter flights from Japan arriving on island annually — most of them in Kona — West Hawaii is ideally positioned to reap the benefit of Japanese demand, said Ross Birch, executive director of the Big Island Visitor’s Bureau. But other destinations around Hawaii stand to benefit too, he said.
“It’s good news for any island in the state,” he said.