Tsunami warnings disrupt air travel between US West Coast, Hawaii, and Japan

"We are holding flight departures to the Islands on Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines. As a safety precaution, flights en route to Hawaii are returning to the mainland or diverting as needed. We are monitoring airport conditions with government agencies and could see operational impacts. A waiver is in place allowing guests to adjust their travel plans,” both airlines said in a statement.

Maui’s Kahului Airport canceled all Tuesday evening flights due to the warnings. Around 200 passengers sheltered overnight inside the terminal according to Hawaii’s Department of Transportation; those remaining would be re-screened before departures resumed. Hilo International Airport also remained closed as of 20:30 local time Tuesday night. At Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, baggage screening was temporarily suspended but later resumed; inter-island and transpacific flights experienced rescheduling due to delays.

Hawaiian Airlines has since resumed operations after pausing departures and diverting inbound flights earlier in the evening. Alaska Airlines announced it would resume operations earlier on Wednesday, July 30. Both carriers offered travel waivers for affected passengers flying between July 29 and July 30—allowing travelers to reschedule without penalty or cancel for future credit—and advised passengers to confirm flight status before traveling.

The impact extended beyond US territory into Japan where tsunami warnings led cities along the Pacific coast—including Sendai—to prepare for waves up to three meters high. Sendai Airport closed all runways by 10:15 local time according to airport authorities; Flightaware reported that at least 17 departures and 14 arrivals had been canceled there so far—affecting operators such as Japan Airlines (JAL), All Nippon Airways (ANA), ANA Wings as well as international carriers HK Express and EVA Air suspending services scheduled for July 30.

Japan Airlines alone saw at least eleven cancellations across its network with about eighty-seven additional delays reported throughout Japan’s air transport system as disruptions continued.