Off the news: Mokulele temporarily suspends all flights

It’s a reminder of how dependent Hawaii residents are on air travel: On Wednesday, Mokulele Airlines temporarily suspended all its flights to conduct maintenance, out of “an abundance of caution” — interrupting plans for interisland travelers.

Mokulele fills a vital niche in transporting passengers between Hawaii’s islands. It receives federal subsidies to maintain flights between Lanai and Honolulu under the Essential Air Service program, recognizing that some routes are needed between small or remote communities and population centers where medical and other essential services are available. No timeline for resuming flights has been released, however.