In the year since Japan Airlines resumed direct flights to and from Kona, the airline has experienced a tumultuous cycle of prosperity, loss and apparent recovery on Hawaii island.

On Saturday, JAL marked the anniversary of its resumption of service with a celebration at the Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole. Hawaii and JAL officials were on hand for a special gate ceremony following the arrival of Flight 770, carrying a capacity 199 passengers from Narita International Airport in Tokyo.

One of those present was JAL Senior Vice President of the Americas Kiyoto Morioka, who first visited Kona at age 17 and was instrumental in opening the Kona route for JAL in 1996.

“The island of Hawaii offers the Japanese people nature’s magnificent attractions, such as mountains, waterfalls, starlit skies and sunsets,” said Morioka, whose remarks were reported in a news release.

“Conversely, for those in Hawaii interested in Japan, we would like them to travel and experience the beauty of Japan. It is our wish that more people from this island, not just from Kona but also those living in Hilo, will experience our direct Kona flight service to Tokyo.”

Also at the ceremony were Mike McCartney, chief of staff for Gov. David Ige, state Department of Transportation Director Jade Butay and Hawaii Tourism Authority President and CEO George Szigeti.

JAL previously offered a daily flight between Narita and Hawaii island dating back to June 1996. In the aftermath of the global financial crisis of 2008, the airline discontinued service to Kona in October 2010 as part of its government­-backed bankruptcy restructuring. It resumed daily service between Japan and Kona on Sept. 15, 2017, flying a Boeing 767-300ER aircraft.

Besides serving Kona from Japan, JAL has a total of seven daily nonstop flights to Honolulu from Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya.

During the first year of its return to Kona, the route generated $73.49 million in visitor spending, $8.58 million in tax revenue and supported 895 jobs, according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

A temporary customs facility opened at the Kona airport enabled JAL to resume service to the island, with a permanent facility scheduled to open in mid-2021.

JAL, though, wasn’t the first airline to take advantage of the reopened customs facility.

Hawaiian Airlines was the first carrier to give the island an economic boost from Asia when it began flying three times a week in December 2016 between Kona and Haneda International Airport in Tokyo.

Air Canada’s low-cost carrier Rouge began offering seasonal service between Vancouver and Kona in December 2015.

“It was extremely important that Hawaiian Airlines first took that step to establishing Kona as an international port of entry for the state and that Japan Airlines hopped on the year following with full daily service,” said Ross Birch, executive director of the Island of Hawaii Visitors Bureau, in an email interview with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “It’s been phenomenal for the Japan market.”

The Japanese market accounted for 30 percent to 45 percent of the island’s overall market in previous years, Birch said. That figure dipped to 10 percent following the discontinuation of daily flights from Japan.

He said the Japanese share of the overall tourist market is still in the 10 percent to 12 percent range, “mainly because the U.S. mainland market has grown as well.”

“In terms of arrivals, the Japan numbers increased almost 35 to 40 percent prior to the volcanic activity,” Birch said. “We took a hit from the (recent Kilauea eruption), not from the fear factor but from the (closure) of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. That was a greater slip. But now we are seeing a huge ramp-up again.”

He said a few large groups are booked through the end of the month. He said he expects continued improvement after another portion of the park reopens Saturday.

Morioka said that while demand for Hawaii routes remains strong overall — on average, flights on Hawaii routes from April to August were 90 percent full — the eruption starting in May has affected group travel from Japan to Kona, resulting in an estimated 10 percent decrease in passengers. Demand for premium group travel remains strong.

“We have been increasing our sales activities in Japan for the promotion of Kona and overall Hawaii routes, and this will continue as we see the volcanic activity decreasing,” he said.