The Honolulu Airport Mauka concourse in Hawaii has been opened after over 3 years of construction. The 230,000 square foot concourse has enough room for 11 narrow-body gates or six wide-body gates. Construction of the US$270 million concourse began in 2018 and is the first major gate expansion in the airport since the first terminal that opened in 1993. The new concourse not only reduces congestion at peak travel times, but also adds six new Transportation Security Administration lanes which brings the total number of checkpoint lanes in Terminal 1 to 10, allowing passengers to get through entry lines more quickly, and in less-crowded conditions.
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Additionally, new eco-friendly design elements such as windows and skylights will make the best use of natural light, high-performance building envelope to reduce solar heat gain, LED lighting, and ventilation shafts to direct air conditioning at the human level instead of cooling the whole structure. Hawaii Department Of Transportation is on track to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, continuing the Department’s commitment to improving the sustainability of transportation.
“The Mauka Concourse is one of the original long-term projects identified in the Hawai‘i Airport Modernization Program and is the first major expansion since Terminal 1 was built in the 1990s. We appreciate the support of our partners as HDOT works on the continual process of improving and maintaining airports statewide,” explained Jade Butay, the Hawaii Department of Transportation Director.
“The Mauka Concourse will offer an improved experience for Kamaaina travelers and visitors, our employees and all other airport users. In addition to helping relieve congestion at HNL, the concourse’s modern and versatile gates can accommodate both our narrow-body and wide-body aircraft, which brings more flexibility and efficiency across our neighbor island and trans-Pacific operations and ultimately benefits travelers.”
