HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Mokulele Airlines has grounded part of its fleet due to maintenance issues and is doing its best to assist affected passengers.
On Saturday, Mokulele Airlines said that during routine maintenance, possible discrepancies were discovered in the documentation of a recent landing gear service on one of its aircraft. As a precautionary measure, part of the fleet has been grounded while additional inspections are conducted.
In the meantime, they are working with the affected passengers, Mokulele said.
“There is just so much uncertainty and it makes me nervous,” said Andrea Dudoit of Molokai.
Dudoit has a scheduled flight with Mokulele Airlines to Moloka’i at 6 a.m. Sunday.
The company has not yet informed her whether her flight has been cancelled.
“I would rather have the plane serviced and repaired than be in the air and have an emergency, so I can understand that. I’m all for it,” Dudoit said. “I think it’s more about transparency with passengers, the public, the travelers, even updates via text message or email or something.”
Dudoit frequently flies to Honolulu for medical appointments.
Louis Saint Cyr, president of the Hawaii division, said in a statement: “We deeply apologize for the inconvenience this may cause our customers and are working as quickly as possible to ensure they can reach their destination.”
The announcement comes just days after Mokulele’s president informed passengers in this letter that flight disruptions had occurred due to the grounding of their 28-seat SAAB aircraft and that a replacement engine could not be obtained.
Senator Lynn DeCoite said she is in talks with the transportation director, the governor and the airports, which are now turning to other airlines for help.
“We have reached out to other airlines like Trans Air, Lanai and also Kamaka Air if they have flights available that can accompany us or at least support us until they are operational again in the next few days.”
The state Department of Transportation said at least three Mokulele flights will operate on Sunday.
Passengers are advised to check with the airline before traveling to the airport.
Normal operations are scheduled to resume on Wednesday.
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