KAILUA-KONA — Representatives from local airlines and the state Department of Transportation continue to support legislation that would move the state’s 15 airports out from under the DOT and into its own governing body, the proposed Hawaii airport corporation.
The airport corporation, say its proponents, could be key in picking up the pace for improvements at the state’s airports, namely being able to spend money quickly for needed projects instead of having to go through the lengthy state procurement process.
“This all goes back to projects that have languished at our airports,” said Blaine Miyasato, state government liaison for Hawaiian Airlines, who sat down with the West Hawaii Today editorial board this week.
As an example, Miyasato pointed to the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport’s Mauka Concourse in Honolulu.
“That’s been the better part of nine years in the making and the ground has not even been broken on it yet,” he said.
And while he said he’s not putting the blame at the feet of any particular group of people, it’s the result of how the system currently runs in Hawaii.
The most recent version of the bill — considered this year by lawmakers and which ultimately died in conference — would have put the corporation’s power over airports, air navigation facilities, buildings and other facilities, in the hands of a nine-member board of directors.
Members would be appointed by the governor, and the bill would have required there be one member representing each of the islands of Hawaii, Oahu, Maui and Kauai.
A chief executive officer selected by the board of directors would head up the corporation.
The corporation would take into its purview everything from landing, take-off and service of aircraft to the comfort and convenience of travelers.
One particular issue with the current system, Miyasato outlined, is the red tape that comes with any proposed project at an airport.
Funds for projects are closely tied to specific line items in a budget, meaning if a change is made on a project or something unexpected happens, it could mean another trip to the Legislature to get the ball rolling once again. That means waiting for lawmakers to come back to session to eventually receive a yes or no decision.
The funds for airports, Miyasato noted, currently and would continue to come from user fees. That is, an airport’s operating budget doesn’t generate from the state, rather from airlines and other users who pay into it. A major goal of the authority would be for the board to be able to spend their funds as they see fit, without having to go back to the Legislature and wait for approval.
An airport authority, Miyasato said, would be able to use those lump sum funds and manage programs from start to finish.
“That’s a huge part of this,” he said, “removing all that red tape.”
And the proposal has the full backing of the Department of Transportation, under whose umbrella the airport currently falls.
“It really is just trying to get things more efficient,” said Tim Sakahara, spokesman for the department.
Hawaii, he said, is one of three states in the country still using a state-run airport system and the current system requires dozens of detailed steps to move a construction project to completion.
“And we want to be able to, quite frankly, eliminate a lot of the red tape,” he said.
The bill considered last year wasn’t without its opposition.
In February, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs submitted testimony to the Senate Committee on Ways and Means opposing the bill over concerns that it exempted the corporation from Chapter 171, which covers state laws related to public and ceded lands.
Those laws require legislative approval for the sale or gift of state lands or to exchange public lands for private lands.
“The wholesale exemption of the corporation and its lands from Chapter 171 may threaten a range of Native Hawaiian interests in our limited public land base,” wrote the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.
Miyasato said the Hawaii airport corporation would comply with state constitutional law to include compliance with how ceded lands are currently protected and governed under the Department of Transportation.
OHA did not respond to questions about whether their stance on the proposal has changed in recent months.
Another concern was the impact on unionized employees and what would happen if they were moved over to the corporation.
Miyasato said the bill has been drafted to move employees over in their covered position.
“So basically status quo,” he said.