Century Aviation Inc. files for bankruptcy
By Sean Hao
Advertiser Staff Writer
Century Aviation Inc., founded in the 1970s by former developer Christopher Hemmeter, filed for bankruptcy protection from creditors Tuesday, raising questions about the ability of some general aviation aircraft to get refueled.
The Honolulu-based company, which was sold to a Japanese firm in 1990, operates airplane refueling facilities in Honolulu, Hilo, Kahului, Kona, Lana'i and Lihue. The company originally grew out of a need to service Hemmeter's own aircraft and expanded into an operation that once refueled such aircraft as the supersonic Concorde.
The state Department of Transportation has not been notified how the Century Aviation bankruptcy will affect its operations, said Scott Ishikawa, a DOT spokesman. The company is the sole supplier of general aviation fuel in Kona, Ishikawa said.
The company's attorney, Donald Spafford, referred calls about Century Aviation's bankruptcy filing to company President Louise Miyasato, who was unavailable for comment.
Century Aviation has between 50 and 99 creditors and its assets and debts were loosely estimated at between $1 million and $10 million, according the company's Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.
Among its creditors is the State of Hawai'i, which is owed nearly $657,000.
About $314,000 of that is owed to the Department of Transportation, while $300,000 is owed to the Department of Taxation. Other major creditors with unsecured claims against Century Aviation include Delta Airlines, ChevronTexaco, First Hawaiian Bank and the City and County of Honolulu.
Ishikawa said Century Aviation's current debt to the department amounts to $514,000 in unpaid lease, landing fees and utility bills. He added that the department closed Century Aviation's Kahului refueling operation in late March after an investigation showed that company employees were not properly certified or following required regulations.
Ishikawa said the probe followed a March incident in which a parked fuel truck rolled from the airport parking lot at Kahului Airport and slid into a grassy ditch near the runway. The stuck fuel tanker prompted a two-hour runway shutdown.
Reach Sean Hao at shao@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8093.
