Kaanapali Beach had its own working airstrip from 1962 until the 1980s, allowing visitors to fly directly into the resort area rather than driving from Kahului. The historical piece explores why Maui’s main airport ended up so far from its major resort corridors.
- Amfac opened the Kaanapali Airstrip in June 1962, just 30 feet from the ocean, to serve Hawaii’s first master-planned resort.
- Small propeller aircraft flew guests in from Honolulu and neighboring islands, bypassing the long drive from Kahului entirely.
- At its peak, the strip handled roughly 60 flights per day and around 10,000 passengers a month by 1980.
- Kahului Airport traces its roots to a WWII Navy base built on former sugarcane land, which is why it sits far from West Maui resorts.
- The northern end of Kaanapali Beach is still called ‘Airport Beach’ today, a lasting reference to the long-gone airstrip.
Source: Beatofhawaii
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