June 23 — Airports in Hawaii will receive more than $ 144 million in new federal funding from the American Rescue Plan.

Funding for the plan, which was enacted in March, will help support airports that have suffered severe economic disruption caused by COVID-19.

US Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) said: “Hawaii airport workers and the entire airline industry have been hit hard during this crisis. This new federal funding will support the wages of workers and help our airports recover. “

Airports on Oahu will receive $ 74.4 million, Airports on Maui will receive $ 29.2 million, Airports on the Hawaiian Islands will receive $ 24 million, and $ 14.5 million will go to airports in Kauai. Molokai and Lanai will each receive $ 1.3 million for their airports.

Hawaiian flight turns back due to sick passenger A Hawaiian Airlines pilot made the decision Monday afternoon to turn around on a flight to Las Vegas so a senior passenger could receive medical care in Honolulu.

Flight HA18 with nonstop service to Las Vegas took off from Honolulu at 2:49 p.m. Monday and was hours before the flight when a pilot called to bring the Airbus A330 back to Honolulu, the spokesperson said. ‘Hawaiian Airlines Alex Da Silva.

The flight landed in Honolulu without incident at 8:15 pm The cabin was cleaned and disinfected after disembarking the 267 passengers and 10 crew.

“The passenger was assessed and cleared by medical staff at the airport and had the option to re-book the trip,” Da Silva said.

The flight departed for Las Vegas at 10:40 p.m. Monday, he said.

“We apologize to our guests for the inconvenience caused,” said Da Silva. “At the end of the day, we always err on the side of caution. If you have an elderly passenger who coughs repeatedly, you want to make sure this is taken care of before you cross the Pacific.”

Da Silva said return flights are not something the airline takes lightly, given the inconvenience to passengers and the high cost to the airline.

“Sometimes you just have to make a tough decision,” he said.