Kauai tour helicopters
get money for facilities
Tour helicopter companies at Kauai's Lihue Airport heliport are getting $5.48 million from the state for infrastructure improvements that will allow them to construct hangars for their aircraft and facilities for their passengers.
Gov. Linda Lingle recently released the money, which will be used to construct lease lots for the handful of tour companies that currently use the airport, making access more convenient for their customers, the state announced last week.
The money will also be used for such infrastructure improvements as paved parking, water, sewer and electrical lines.
"We will now be able to build hangars in which we can maintain and store our aircraft and also have facilities for passenger accommodations at the airport," such as check-in facilities and a waiting room, said Casey Reimer, general manager of Jack Harter Helicopters, which operates two six-passenger helicopters from Lihue. "Whereas right now, we're working under a tent."
The money is the first allotment of a $7.06 million project, Scott Ishikawa, spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, said Wednesday.
Customers will be able to conveniently reach tour operators from Ahukini Road once the improvements are done, he said.
Helicopter tours in Hawaii offer tourists rides above rainforests, sea cliffs and an erupting volcano. The flights are particularly popular on Kauai, where some of its most spectacular sights are best -- and most easily -- seen by air.
Reimer said the improvements will be good for business and good for the state.
"Helicopters are part of the reason people visit the island," he said. "It's one of the best places in the world to take a helicopter ride."