Mokulele Airlines enlists help of air cargo carriers amid partial grounding of fleet

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A portion of Mokulele Airline’s fleet remains grounded for a second day on Sunday after the airline said discrepancies were found in the servicing of a plane’s landing gear.

Mokulele is the only commercial airline for the island of Lanai and Molokai. It plays a vital role in connecting Hawaii’s most rural communities with other parts of the state.

The airline is not saying how many flights were cancelled or how many planes in its fleet are grounded because they say it’s a “fluid situation.”

In the meantime, the company is enlisting the help of air cargo providers to get people home.

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With Mokulele’s 28 seater planes out of commission along with some of its smaller Cessna Caravans, Transair planes are now being called in to help.

”We were able to board 24 passengers and get home. I think everyone is thankful,” said Molokai resident Andrea Dudoit.

Dudoit says she was originally supposed to leave Honolulu Sunday at 6 a.m. to Molokai but received a text around 11 p.m. Saturday saying her flight was cancelled.

In the middle of the night, she says she found out the airline was able to put her on a Transair flight at 9 a.m..

It was a similar story for another Molokai couple who arrived in Honolulu Saturday after visiting the East Coast and found out their flight had also been cancelled.

”We’ve been gone for almost a month and want to get home,” said the couple.

At 3 a.m. Sunday, they were notified they could catch a flight at noon.

”We are grateful they are trying but this is not the first time. It’s an ongoing thing. You take a chance when you leave the island coming to back on time, on schedule,” said one Molokai resident.

Mokulele Airlines says it hopes to have full service back by Tuesday and it will reimburse affected costumers for hotels and meals.

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