Hawaii aims to finish new airport immigration facility soon

The state of Hawaii aims to finish building a new immigration facility at Kailua-Kona's airport one month before Hawaiian Airlines begins direct flights there from Tokyo. Transportation deputy director Ross Higashi said Thursday the state is "feverishly moving" to get the facility ready by November. Hawaiian plans to start flying to Kona from Tokyo Dec. 20. The immigration facility will be temporary. A permanent facility would cost US$50m. The department plans to seek money from the state's general fund to cover the expense, he said. That's because the new flight from Tokyo will generate general excise tax, transient accommodations tax and corporate income tax revenue that will feed the general fund, he said. Hawaiian's new route will bring a regularly scheduled direct flight from Japan to the Big Island for the first time since 2010. <br/>