How Hawaiian Airlines has been affected by the eruption

Hawaiian Airlines boss Peter Ingram says the US state is open for business and volcanic activity on the big island of Hawaii is affecting only a fraction of its land area. There was a misconception from some travellers that spectacular activity at Kilauea Volcano could affect their travel plans, Ingram said. The airline, which flies to Hilo on Hawaii as part of its island network, had not been affected by the month-long eruption of the volcano, which has destroyed scores of houses and forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents. "For those who have been evacuated from their homes it's an absolutely tragic event. Operationally it's had nil impact - we haven't cancelled a flight or taken a delay because of the volcano," he said. Only about 25sqkm was affected directly by the eruption in a corner of the Big Island that covers about 10,400sqkm, he said. Long, tall flows of lava, have marched from the volcano to the sea. "I think there is sufficiently poor knowledge of Hawaiian geography around the world. Some people are concerned about what impact it might have on their vacation plans - we've been assuring them that the vast majority of the tourism infrastructure in the state is elsewhere."<br/>