What to do about airplane congestion at Honolulu Airport may become the legislative question this year now that the site for the second small airplane facility on Oahu is in a holding pattern.
Sen. Clifford T. Uwaine, Senate Transportation Committee chairman, said that since the issue of a new airport site is up in the air for at least a year and a half, he will be examining ways of lessening the heavy traffic at busy Honolulu Airport.
His House counterpart, Rep. Brian T. Taniguich, said administra-
tion officials have indicated they will make a budget entry for construction of a new facility but will leave the location of the site optional because of a federal study on whether the military should share some airfields with civilian pilots.
Although administration officials have said they still prefer to have Poamoho in Central Oahu as the new airport site, they are not pushing it as much as in previous years, when lawmakers blocked use of the agricultural property for small airplanes.
Poamoho has triggered emotional outcries from persons in Wahiawa and other areas, but this year it will take a back seat to what Uwaine is contemplating.
Lawmakers had considered a second general aviation airport at places such as Waipio or Bellows on Windward Oahu, but the site selection will be hung up as they await the possibility that the state could share a military airfield such as Wheeler Air Force Base.
Both transportation chairmen said the federal study could take one and a half to two years to complete and send to the U.S. Department of Defense.
“It’s (the study) going to take a good length of time, which is not going to alleviate the safety and danger aspect at Honolulu Airport,” Uwaine said. “That’s what bothers me. … We’ll have to take a look at other ways of alleviating the problem.”
One is re-examining landing fees paid by various air carriers for using the airport facilities, Uwaine, D-10th Dist. (Moiliili-Sheridan-McCully), said. …
Presently, non-commercial aircraft do not pay any landing fees. Commercial aircraft pay a modest landing fee according to weight.
