"Air transportation is a critical lifeline for our ʻohana on Molokai and Lanai. In the week since Mokulele grounded their planes without warning, leaving passengers and residents angry and stranded, I have been in conversation with multiple federal agencies about any and all remedies we have to prevent these lapses in service and explore alternative options to keep our neighbor island communities connected," said U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda (HI-02).
"In conversations with the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), I have asked them to consider a delay of award or shorten their upcoming Essential Air Service (EAS) contracts forKalaupapa and Kamuela in order to give them the most flexibility and options in selecting a carrier. I also requested that they consider going out earlier to solicit new contracts for existing EAS routes if carriers have not been able to live up to the terms of their agreements. At my request, USDOT included reporting requirements in their most recent EAS contract for Lanai in order for there to be accountability on the consistency and reliability of their routes.
We will continue to work with USDOT on requiring contingency plans to prevent lapses in services as a part of future EAS contracts. This is a complicated and challenging issue that will require collaboration between state, federal, and private stakeholders, but our residents deserve nothing less than the ability to get safely to and from their island home."
###