What's flying over Honolulu right now?

What you're seeing over Honolulu

The airliners over Honolulu are going to or from Daniel K. Inouye International, which sits on the shore west of downtown and shares its runways with Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. Hawaiian Airlines, now part of the same group as Alaska Airlines, is the hometown carrier, and its interisland flights to Maui, Kauai and the Big Island run like a shuttle all day. Mainland and Asian carriers add a steady flow of widebodies across the Pacific.

Honolulu's steady northeast trade winds set the pattern most of the time. On trade-wind days, aircraft land and take off toward the east and northeast, and many departures use the Reef Runway, built on landfill in the lagoon, before turning out over the ocean. When the trades give way to southerly Kona winds, the flow reverses, and arrivals can come in low along the south shore past Waikiki and downtown. Military jets share the same runways, and tour helicopters circle the island. The live map makes sense of the mix, and our glossary entry on heavy aircraft explains what all those widebodies have in common.

Airports near Honolulu

• major hubHNLDaniel K. Inouye International Airport
  PHNL · 4 miles west of downtown
  Hawaii's main airport and Hawaiian Airlines' hub, sharing its runways with Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. Live traffic at HNL ↗
• general aviationJRFKalaeloa Airport
  PHJR · 14 miles west of downtown
  A former naval air station at Barbers Point, now home to general aviation and Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point. Live traffic at JRF ↗
• militaryNGFMarine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay
  PHNG · 11 miles northeast of downtown
  A Marine Corps and Navy air station on the windward side, flying MV-22s, helicopters and P-8s. Live traffic at NGF ↗
• militaryHHIWheeler Army Airfield
  PHHI · 17 miles northwest of downtown
  An Army airfield in central Oahu that hosts Army helicopter units. Live traffic at HHI ↗

Common traffic over Honolulu

Hawaiian Airlines flies interisland routes, mostly with Boeing 717s, along with A321neos and widebodies to the mainland and Asia. Southwest flies 737 MAX 8s between the islands and to the West Coast, and United, Alaska, Delta and American bring 737s, A321s and widebodies such as the 787-9 from the mainland. Japan Airlines, ANA, Korean Air, Qantas and others connect Honolulu with Asia and the South Pacific. Mokulele Airlines flies small turboprops such as the Cessna Caravan to the smaller island airports.

How the flows work:

• Trade winds, the usual: arrivals and departures operate toward the east and northeast. Many departures use the Reef Runway and then turn out over the ocean, while arrivals often approach over the water south and west of the airport.
• Kona winds, less common: operations flip toward the west, and some arrivals pass along the south shore near Waikiki and downtown on their way in.

Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam shares HNL's runways. The Air Force's 15th Wing and the Hawaii Air National Guard's 154th Wing fly C-17s, KC-135 tankers and F-22 Raptors from the field. Kaneohe Bay adds Marine MV-22 Ospreys and helicopters plus Navy P-8s, Wheeler hosts Army helicopters, and the Coast Guard flies search-and-rescue aircraft from Kalaeloa.

Tour helicopters, many of them Airbus AS350 and H130 types, fly around Oahu's coastlines and mountains, and medevac and police helicopters add more low traffic.

Aircraft you'll often see here

Plane-spotting tips for Honolulu

Lagoon Drive, a short road on the east side of the airport that ends at the water, is Honolulu's classic spotting place, with views across the lagoon toward the Reef Runway and arrivals passing nearby. Keehi Lagoon Beach Park, a little farther east, gives similar views with more room to spread out. The Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, on Ford Island, has historic aircraft in its hangars and views of military traffic. From Waikiki, look west along the shore to see departures climbing out and interisland flights turning toward Maui. Trade-wind showers pass quickly and can produce rainbows behind departing jets, while Kona weather brings hazier skies and the less familiar arrival paths along the shore.

Honolulu sky questions

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