Larry Ellison’s Lānaʻi Air Eyes New Moloka’i Route to Address Hawaii Island Air Access Crisis
Why It Matters
For the roughly 7,000 residents of Moloka’i, Hawaii, reliable air travel is not a convenience — it is a lifeline. The island lacks comprehensive medical facilities, forcing residents to fly to Honolulu for routine and specialized care. A shortage of air carriers following the COVID-19 pandemic has left many islanders missing critical doctor appointments, and a billionaire-owned airline now hopes to fill part of that gap.
What Happened
Lānaʻi Air, a private charter airline originally established in 2018 to ferry guests to luxury Four Seasons resorts on Lānaʻi — an island roughly 98% owned by tech billionaire Larry Ellison — is preparing to expand service to Moloka’i. The company has begun advertising five new positions at Moloka’i Airport as it finalizes operational details for a new Moloka’i-to-Honolulu route.
Pūlama Lānaʻi, the management company overseeing Ellison’s island holdings, confirmed the expansion plans through spokesperson Lyssa Fujie. “We recognize that for many residents, air travel is an essential connection to health care, work, family and daily needs, and our goal is to provide additional travel options to support those connections,” Fujie said in a statement.
The airline already opened ticket sales to the general public in January 2024 to address similar travel disruptions on Lānaʻi following the exit of two other commercial carriers. The Moloka’i expansion follows the same model.
By the Numbers
3 to 1: The number of commercial airlines serving Moloka’i and Lānaʻi dropped from three carriers to one following the pandemic, as both Makani Kai and Ohana by Hawaiian ceased operations in November 2020 and January 2021, respectively.
$160 vs. $110: A one-way ticket between Lānaʻi and Honolulu costs $160 on Lānaʻi Air compared to approximately $110 on Mokulele Airlines, the only remaining commercial carrier on both islands.
$2 million: State lawmakers funded a pilot program to provide free medical flights for Moloka’i and Lānaʻi residents. Since the program launched in January, 94 Moloka’i residents and 40 Lānaʻi residents have used it to reach off-island medical appointments.
June 2027: The state-funded free medical flight initiative is funded through that date, leaving the long-term air access question unresolved beyond the program’s window.
37–45 minutes: The flight time from Moloka’i and Lānaʻi to Honolulu, respectively — a short trip that remains out of reach for many residents when flights are delayed or cancelled.
Mokulele Under Pressure
Mokulele Airlines, the last surviving public carrier serving both islands, has faced sustained customer frustration over delays and cancellations. The airline publicly acknowledged service failures affecting Moloka’i and Lānaʻi residents in March 2023 and committed to improvements. Since then, Mokulele has expanded its fleet with new aircraft, increased daily flights between Moloka’i and Honolulu, hired 19 pilots, and established a dedicated backup aircraft to cover mechanical breakdowns.
Residents have noted some improvements in on-time performance, but the pandemic-era nickname “Moku-delay-le” has proven difficult to shake. Moloka’i resident Walter Ritte, 81, a longtime community figure, said flight disruptions remain a routine problem. “You can’t get to your doctor appointment because the flight’s delayed — that’s often still the case,” Ritte said. “It’s caused a lot of pain in this community.” Ritte said he now avoids nonessential travel entirely to sidestep the disruption.
Zoom Out
Hawaii’s air access challenge reflects a broader rural healthcare crisis. Approximately 95% of the state is considered rural, and geographically isolated communities across the Big Island and Kaua’i also struggle with physician shortages and limited access to specialized care concentrated in Honolulu. The problem is not unique to Hawaii — rural communities across the U.S. face declining regional air service and healthcare provider shortages that compound the difficulty of accessing basic medical care. Hawaii has faced similar service delivery failures on neighbor islands, including cuts to support staff for students with disabilities.
The entry of a private, market-driven carrier into an underserved route illustrates how private enterprise can step into gaps left by commercial aviation’s retreat from low-traffic corridors — a dynamic playing out in rural regions across the country.
What’s Next
Lānaʻi Air has not announced a firm launch date for the Moloka’i route. The company is still finalizing operational details, including flight schedules and pricing. Five open positions at Moloka’i Airport suggest hiring is an immediate priority before service begins. The state’s free medical flight program remains active through June 2027, providing a parallel option for residents in the interim. Hawaii lawmakers have faced separate legal and policy hurdles in other areas of neighbor island governance, adding pressure on the state to support private-sector solutions where government programs fall short.