Runway crack leads to another closure at Kona airport

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Flights at the Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport were suspended for nearly 90 minutes Thursday, after a crack was discovered on the airport’s only runway.

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The Hawaii Department of Transportation said an emergency closure began at 1:35 p.m. in order to address the crack.

Officials announced the runway reopened at 3 p.m.

About six flights were bound for the airport at the time of the discovery. Three were diverted to Kahului.

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Permanent repairs were expected to be done overnight Thursday.

Cracks on the runway have been an ongoing problem for the airport.

34 flights were impacted by another emergency closure on October 30, 2025 after a fracture in the pavement in the middle of the runway grounded flights for seven hours.

Runway cracks, believed to have been caused by heavy rains, also forced emergency closures in January and April of 2024.

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An ongoing runway rehabilitation project began in Feb. 2024.