Air Force Thunderbirds show may disrupt HNL

An air show featuring the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and other military aircraft could disrupt scores of flights at Honolulu International Airport over three days in September.

Representatives from several airlines met with Air Force officials Wednesday to discuss the ???Wings Over the Pacific??? show???s disruption of scheduled flights into Honolulu.

The Air Force has proposed a five-mile restriction on air space over the airport between 10:15 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Sept. 19 and 20. A practice day is scheduled for Sept. 18.

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There may be some open periods during the show when some commercial planes could fly, but no activity would be allowed from 2:45 to 4 p.m. when the F-16 Thunderbirds perform.

Wings Over the Pacific is scheduled at Hickam Air Force Base Sept. 18-20, a three-day weekend. Hickam is next to Honolulu International and shares its runways.

???We all coexist very harmoniously here and we want to continue to do that without any disruption to commercial aviation and to tourism, which is so important to all of us here,??? said Paul Skellon, vice president of interisland carrier go!, owned by Phoenix-based Mesa Air Group (Amex: MESA). ???The ideal compromise is to share the air show with all our tourists and to showcase the arena of Waikiki Beach and Ala Moana Beach Park.???

The Navy???s Blue Angels squadron has performed over Oahu several times in recent years, but those planes took off from Marine Corp Base Hawaii in Kaneohe.

A spokesman for the 15th Airlift Wing Public Affairs Office at Hickam said details of the air show are still being worked out.

???The Thunderbirds have been doing these shows all over world for years at many commercial airports, and it is a partnership when we work with a commercial airport,??? said Lt. Jason Smith. ???We have to work it out to make it beneficial to both parties.???