Our Heritage

Mokulele was founded in 1994 by Rebecca “Kawehi” Inaba as Mokulele Flight Service. Her love of aviation must have been in the blood as her father was a pilot for Aloha Airlines. She partnered with Jules Dudoit who arranged for a certificate allowing the airline to provide circle-island and air tours that shared the beauty of Hawaii National Park and Maui with passengers.

 

After six ownership changes over the last 25 years, Southern Airways Express, a commuter airline based in Florida purchased the assets of Mokulele Airlines in February of 2019. Under their parent company Surf Air Mobility, Southern Airways and Mokulele Airlines combined make up one of the largest and fastest-growing airlines in America.

Today, as part of Surf Air Mobility, Southern Airways and Mokulele Airlines are evolving—modernizing the fleet, enhancing the journey, and moving toward an electric future.

In Hawaiian, Moku means “island,” and Lele means “to leap” or “to hop.” When airplanes were first introduced, Native Hawaiians created the word Mokulele, as there had been no Hawaiian word for “airline.” Today, our name reflects two meanings: airline and island hopper.

 

We are proud of our Hawaiian heritage and honored to serve some of Hawaiʻi’s smallest communities with vital air service, including Hāna, Waimea, Kapalua, and Kalaupapa.

Reliability – Safety – Aloha – Integrity – ‘Ohana

Built on reliability and safety, and carried forward with aloha, integrity, and ‘ohana, our values are at the heart of every journey—connecting people, places, and communities across Hawai‘i.