West Maui visitors advised to leave Lahaina and Maui; airlines reporting open flights

Brush fire updates: https://tinyurl.com/zy8mnb99
List: closed/cancelled/postponed: https://tinyurl.com/4b28993k
School closure updates: https://tinyurl.com/f6jh372w
Power outage updates: https://tinyurl.com/yn8pkhzx
Road closure updates: https://tinyurl.com/487vhcsn

West Maui visitors advised to leave Lahaina and Maui; airlines reporting open flights
Update: 3:50 p.m., Aug. 9, 2023

Due to limited resources in this time of crisis, visitors with vehicles or any means of transportation are being asked to leave Lahaina and Maui as soon as possible. 

A mass bus evacuation for visitors will be staged at Sheraton Maui Resort in Kāʻanapali this afternoon and take visitors directly to Kahului Airport. Five County of Maui buses, each with a capacity of 49 people, and five Polynesian Adventure Tours buses, each with a capacity of 50, will provide the transportation, with the first wave of buses expected to arrive at the Sheraton at about 4 p.m. today.

Personal vehicles can go to the airport through Kahahuloa. Rental vehicles may be left on site.

On Wedneday afternoon, the Transportation Security Administration was reporting that seats are available on outgoing flights at Kahului Airport. Travelers need to call airlines to make reservations.

Motorists may not enter Lahaina during the active fire, but people already in Lahaina may exit via Kahakuloa. Maui police are stationed at Ma’alaea and at Waihee to prevent entry into Lahaina until the area is secure. Only Kahakuloa residents may access Kahakuloa via Waiheʻe. 

West Maui remains without power and has no landline or cellphone service.

Firefighting crews are continuing to battle a fire that burned multiple structures and brush in Lahaina, as well as fires in the Pūlehu/Kīhei and Upcountry areas.

There have been no changes in containment for the Lahaina, Pūlehu and Upcountry fires.

Maui District Airports Manager Marvin Moniz said airlines added flights or brought in bigger aircraft to accommodate the volume. “So far,” he said, “we are good.”

Wildfires are continuing to burn in multiple areas of Maui and on Hawai‘i Island’s Kohala Coast. These fires have resulted in the evacuations of thousands of residents and visitors, and multiple closures of major roadways.

The Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority reiterated that visitors who are on non-essential travel are being asked to leave Maui, and non-essential travel to Maui is strongly discouraged at this time. 

“In the days and weeks ahead, our collective resources and attention must be focused on the recovery of residents and communities that were forced to evacuate their homes and businesses,” according to an HTA update.

Visitors who have travel plans to West Maui in the coming weeks are encouraged to consider rescheduling their travel plans for a later time. 

Visitors with travel plans to stay in other parts of Maui and the Kohala Coast of Hawaiʻi Island in the coming weeks are encouraged to contact their hotels for updated information and how their travel plans may be affected. Travel to Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, and other parts of Hawaiʻi Island are not affected at this time.

While Kahului Airport on Maui remains open at this time, residents and visitors with travel bookings are encouraged to check with their airline for any flight changes or cancellations, or for assistance with rebooking. 

In partnership with the Red Cross, HTA is opening an assistance center at the Hawaiʻi Convention Center on Oʻahu for people evacuated from Maui who are unable to return home at this time. Support will be provided at the assistance center to help visitors book accommodations or flights.