Monday, September 14, 2026
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Monday, September 14, 2026
Mokulele Airlines Awarded $19.4 Million Essential Air Service Contract for Lanaʻi
By News Release @ 8:56 AM :: 131 Views :: Maui County, Drugs

Surf Air Mobility’s Mokulele Airlines Awarded $19.4 Million Essential Air Service Contract for Lanaʻi in Hawaiʻi

Four-year contract valued at $19.4 million extends Mokulele Airlines scheduled service to Lanaʻi.

Mokulele’s Hawaiʻi operations support Surf Air Mobility’s broader platform, SurfOS software, and Advanced Air Mobility strategy, and positions Hawaiʻi as a showcase for electric flight.

News Release from Surf Air, Sept 14, 2026

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Surf Air Mobility Inc. (NYSE: SRFM) (“Surf Air Mobility” or the “Company”) today announced that its airline subsidiary, Mokulele Airlines (“Mokulele”), has been awarded a new Essential Air Service (“EAS”) contract by the U.S. Department of Transportation (“DOT”) to continue scheduled air service to Lanaʻi, Hawaiʻi. The contract represents $19.4 million in EAS subsidies, excluding incremental passenger fare revenue, over four years, doubling the term of the prior contract, and provides contracted revenue through August 2030.

Mokulele was selected through a competitive process. In awarding the contract, the DOT highlighted Mokulele’s track record serving the Lanaʻi community, its established infrastructure in Hawaiʻi, and the strength of its interline connectivity. The contract rewards Surf Air Mobility’s significant investment in its Hawaiʻi infrastructure including the upgraded fleet, operational capabilities and local presence needed to serve Lanaʻi reliably. Mokulele holds interline agreements with major airlines at both Honolulu (HNL) and Kahului/Maui (OGG), including Hawaiian Airlines, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, United Airlines, and Japan Airlines, giving the Lanaʻi community seamless connections across Hawaiʻi, to the continental U.S., and internationally.

Louis Saint-Cyr, President of Airline Operations at Surf Air Mobility, said: “It is an honor to have been selected by the DOT to continue operating the Lanaʻi EAS contract. For many years, the Lanaʻi community has depended on our operations to keep the island connected, and we take our commitment seriously as evidenced by our recent investment in local infrastructure and operating capabilities. This contract also rewards the broader investments we’ve made into our Hawaiʻi operations where we provide safe, reliable, and profitable air service, and where we continue building toward our ambition of operating the first commercial passenger electric flights in the country.”

Surf Air Mobility continues to invest in the reliability and capacity of its Hawaiʻi network. Today, Mokulele operates approximately 112 daily departures across five islands and over the past year, Mokulele has upgraded the Hawaiʻi fleet with new Cessna Caravans and updated ground and lounge infrastructure. The Company has also deployed its SurfOS software across the Hawaiʻi operation to modernize scheduling, maintenance, and flight operations as part of the digitalization effort to improve operational reliability and profitability.

The Lanaʻi EAS contract reinforces Mokulele’s position as the largest commuter airline network in Hawaiʻi by airports served. Under the new contract, Mokulele will operate 63 weekly round trips, or 126 weekly flights, connecting Lanaʻi (LNY) to Honolulu (HNL) and Kahului/Maui (OGG). The schedule includes 42 weekly round trips to Honolulu and 21 weekly round trips to Kahului.

As Surf Air Mobility builds its air mobility platform, the Company’s scheduled airline operations provide the operational scale, community relationships, and real-world experience and data that support the Company’s broader strategy, including the deployment of its SurfOS software, and its ambition to launch the first commercial passenger electric flights using BETA Technologies’ (“BETA”) ALIA aircraft, once certified. Hawaiʻi’s short average stage length and high-frequency interisland routes make it a model network for the introduction of electric aircraft. In June 2026, Surf Air Mobility participated in a demonstration flight program with BETA’s electric aircraft in Hawaiʻi.

About Surf Air Mobility

Surf Air Mobility is a Los Angeles-based air mobility platform. With its AI-enabled SurfOS software, Surf Air Mobility provides technology designed to support the modernization of air operations and the adoption of next-generation aircraft. The Company currently operates one of the largest commuter airlines in the United States by scheduled departures and provides private charter services. Together, these businesses provide the operational scale and real-world operating data to validate and deploy its software. These capabilities position Surf Air Mobility as a leader shaping a more efficient, connected, and accessible future for aviation.

MN: Mokulele awarded $19.4 million contract for Lanai air service

SA 2023: Drug and gambling defendant pleads guilty “The group allegedly used young adult passengers to evade Transportation Security Administration screening sites by flying Mokulele Airlines to take money, methamphetamine and cocaine back and forth between Oahu and Maui.”

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