Kalaupapa Airport (PHLU), Hawaii
Landing essentials
Whether you can land, whether you can refuel, and how customs works here.
Overview
Kalaupapa Airport (PHLU) is a small public-use field on the island of Molokai, serving a low volume of business aviation traffic. The airport is unattended outside its posted hours and relies on pilot-controlled lighting for runway 05/23.
Runways
Kalaupapa Airport has one paved runway, 05/23, 2,700 ft long and 75 ft wide, with an asphalt surface.
Runway geometry from published threshold coordinates. Not for navigation.
Source: FAA Form 5010.
Fuel and airfield services
Fueling is available from 7am to 3:30pm, daily, and the airport has no control tower.
Source: FAA Form 5010 / NASR.
Customs
Kalaupapa Airport does not clear customs. The nearest port of entry is Kahului (PHOG), 36 NM away.
Source: CBP list of ports of entry.
Business aviation traffic
Kalaupapa Airport recorded 603 business aviation movements in 2025. Traffic peaks in August and December. Business aviation traffic at Kalaupapa Airport (PHLU) is concentrated toward the end of the year, with December, August, and April showing the highest monthly operations counts in 2025.
Business jet movements, FAA TFMSC count. Peak month December, 64 movements in 2025.
Source: FAA TFMSC, business jet movements, 2025.
Climate
Weather station is on the field. Some values are estimated by the agency. 1991–2020 climate normals.
Source: NOAA NCEI.
Operating constraints
Kalaupapa Airport has published operating constraints in four categories: access, runway notes, environmental and other notes.
Prior permission is required 24 hours in advance for Division 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3 explosives, and 4 hours in advance for other hazardous material moving in or out of the airport. Contact the airport for coordination.
Prior permission from the State Department of Health Communicable Disease Division is required to enter the settlement area. Contact the Honolulu office for coordination.
Runway 05/23 medium intensity runway lighting is pilot-activated via CTAF. The PAPI on runway 05 is for daytime VFR use only.
Deer and other wild animals are present on and in the vicinity of the airport at night.
See area notices for traffic advisories at non-towered airports.
The PAPI is unusable beyond 2.2 nautical miles. Terrain penetrates the PAPI safety slope at 2.7 nautical miles. The PAPI is out of service indefinitely.
From October through May, large waves impact the shoreline, producing salt water spray up to 40 feet high.
For clearance delivery, contact Honolulu Control Facility.
Source: FAA Chart Supplement.
Nearby airfields
Kalaupapa Airport has five airfields within 47 NM. The closest is Molokai (PHMK), 7.70 NM southwest.
Part of the Hawaii area.
Source: Skystar calculation from official coordinates.
Skystar at PHLU
We arrange catering, fuel and trip support here. Supplier prices reach you unchanged; our coordination fee sits on its own line.
The same order, priced two ways.
$600.00 catering order at PHLU.
Unchanged.
What the kitchen invoices us is what your quote reads.
One line, fixed.
The $75 minimum applies below $862.50.
At cost.
Passed on at the exact amount the processor took.
Market practice figures are industry averages, not a specific competitor.
Frequently asked questions
What is the runway situation at PHLU?
Kalaupapa Airport (PHLU) has a single paved runway, 05/23, measuring 2,700 feet by 75 feet with an asphalt surface. There is no parallel or crosswind runway, so operations depend entirely on wind alignment with this single strip.
Is customs available on-site at PHLU?
Kalaupapa Airport (PHLU) has no on-site customs. The nearest customs facility is PHOG, located approximately 35.75 nautical miles away, so flights requiring customs clearance need to route through that airport instead.
What should crews know about the PAPI on runway 05 at PHLU?
The PAPI on runway 05 at Kalaupapa Airport (PHLU) is out of service indefinitely. Even when active, it was restricted to daytime VFR use only, and terrain penetrates the PAPI safety slope at 2.7 nautical miles, making it unusable beyond 2.2 nautical miles.