Amid a boom in demand for air travel following travel restrictions as a result of the global pandemic, Kahului Airport in Maui has hit “overcapacity” with bottlenecks throughout the airport, according to Maui County Mayor Michael Victorino.
Victorino is asking airlines to slow down and potentially cut back on airlift to the airport. During a press conference on 29 June, Victorino told reporters: “I have been talking with different airlines and… we’re asking for just a pause, if you want to use that term…. We don’t have the authority to stay stop, but we’re asking the powers that be to help us.”
Speaking to Hawaii News Now, Brian Perry, a spokesperson for Victorino said, “the people of Maui County have lacked sufficient time to prepare for the sudden, large influx of tourism, even as health restrictions remain in place.” He added that, “many of our hospitality-related businesses are still struggling to fully staff their operations to provide a high quality of customer service.”
Stating that “Maui is a community first and a vacation destination second,” Victorino also said that “people are choosing to come to Hawaii not only because of its wonderful resources and people, but because there really isn’t a lot of choice.”
Despite the economic benefits of tourism, the influx of travellers is cause for concern for some locals, who are anxious about the risk of COVID-19 spreading and the lack of adherence by visitors to local health protocols.
