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Hawaii says ‘Aloha’ to Amazon Air

Retail giant continues to spool up air network with two more air cargo terminals

Eric Kulisch
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An Amazon Air freighter at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. Amazon Air has opened two new airport terminals in Hawaii. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

Amazon Air launched cargo operations in Maui and on Hawaii Island last week to help facilitate speedier deliveries for Prime customers.

The retail giant’s two newest regional gateways are at Kahului Airport and Kona International Airport, the company said in a news release shared with FreightWaves that hasn’t been posted on its website. It first announced the start of air cargo operations in a tweet last week.

Amazon’s (NASDAQ: AMZN) in-house airline is now operating daily flights from its mainland regional gateway at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, California, to Hawaii.

The new cargo terminals supplement the existing gateway — at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu — which opened in April 2018. 


“We are excited to expand Amazon Air’s operations in Hawaii so that we can deliver for Hawaiian customers who are relying on us during this time,” said Chris Preston, director of Amazon Air gateway operations, in a statement. “We look forward to improving the delivery window for customers in Maui and on Hawaii Island over time, just like we did in Honolulu when we first began operations.”

The launch of the regional gateways follows Amazon’s land acquisition in Honolulu last month. Media outlets in the state and real estate developers reported that Amazon bought a piece of industrial property near Honolulu Harbor from Honolulu Servco Pacific, an auto and truck distributor. 

In July, Amazon also opened a new regional air hub in Lakeland, Florida, as it rapidly spreads its air network to all regions of the country to keep up with its e-commerce business. It plans to open its primary air hub next summer at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.

“Amazon has already invested more than $100 million in our great state and has more than 6,500 small and medium-sized businesses growing their business using Amazon products and services. We look forward to the continued benefits Amazon’s presence will have for customers and commerce across our islands,” Gov. David Ige said in a statement.


Click here for more FreighWaves/American Shipper stories by Eric Kulisch.

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Eric Kulisch

Eric is the Supply Chain and Air Cargo Editor at FreightWaves. An award-winning business journalist with extensive experience covering the logistics sector, Eric spent nearly two years as the Washington, D.C., correspondent for Automotive News, where he focused on regulatory and policy issues surrounding autonomous vehicles, mobility, fuel economy and safety. He has won two regional Gold Medals and a Silver Medal from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for government and trade coverage, and news analysis. He was voted best for feature writing and commentary in the Trade/Newsletter category by the D.C. Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He was runner up for News Journalist and Supply Chain Journalist of the Year in the Seahorse Freight Association's 2024 journalism award competition. In December 2022, Eric was voted runner up for Air Cargo Journalist. He won the group's Environmental Journalist of the Year award in 2014 and was the 2013 Supply Chain Journalist of the Year. As associate editor at American Shipper Magazine for more than a decade, he wrote about trade, freight transportation and supply chains. He has appeared on Marketplace, ABC News and National Public Radio to talk about logistics issues in the news. Eric is based in Vancouver, Washington. He can be reached for comments and tips at ekulisch@freightwaves.com