National Ground Stop Causes Delays at Hilo Airport
“They grounded right at boarding and did not pass along any information,” said Sean OʻPhelan, a resident of Puna.
Hilo International Airport remained calm during a national ground stop of all flights that ended after four and a half hours at 3:19 p.m. on Friday, bigislandnow.com reported. With only one flight from Las Vegas scheduled on Friday, November 13, 2026, the Big Island facility avoided the widespread chaos seen at mainland airports. Staff reported that the longest delayed departure lasted about 40 minutes.
The temporary stoppage stemmed from a national Federal Aviation Administration order. Meanwhile, a separate temporary halt affected flights from Hawaiʻi to the West Coast due to debris from a SpaceX launch on Friday afternoon, the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation stated on its Facebook page. Those flights have since resumed.
While local interisland flights remained unaffected by the ground stop, Hawaiʻi-bound flyers and residents returning home faced severe disruptions. A traveler at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu reported crowded conditions inside the terminal due to delayed or canceled mainland flights.
Many passengers traveled to Hilo on Friday ahead of the Emerald Princess cruise departure scheduled for 8 a.m. on Saturday from Hilo port. “The cruise line tells passengers to get to their departure city the day before in case there are any problems with flights,” Debra Vance told bigislandnow.com. “We’re lucky that our flight from Los Angeles left for Honolulu early this morning.”
Residents returning from the mainland encountered much bigger hurdles. OʻPhelan was boarding a flight around 1:15 p.m. Pacific time to travel from San Diego to Honolulu after visiting Minnesota.
“I changed my flight in the app, exited the terminal, had to find where my bags were and got a hostel for the night in San Diego,” OʻPhelan told bigislandnow.com, adding that his flight was completely canceled and he hopes the airline will reimburse his overnight stay.
“It was really chaotic, people were a little scared but mostly annoyed at the inconveniences with little information,” OʻPhelan told bigislandnow.com.
Laurie Lyons-Makaimoku planned to fly from Mexico to Seattle for a connection to Kailua-Kona, but her plane sat on the tarmac for more than six hours.
“We finally got off and now I can’t get home until Sunday night,” Lyons-Makaimoku told bigislandnow.com. “I have to take a short flight tomorrow to Mexico City and stay there tomorrow night. It’s difficult because my family was expecting me home and now it’s going to be another 48 hours until I see them.”