Airport Delays

[TomK]

One would think, at least if there was any modicum of competency, that the shelves would be filled with every spare part needed to repair any possible problems immediately. 

I agree, as long as everyone is willing to see the price of flights rocket so that the airport can afford to buy every spare part possibly needed and have staff on call at a moment's notice to fix things.  This is an unfortunate incident but it's the cost of living in the middle of nowhere rather than living next to a major airport where some spare parts might be available. These are high-tech and very expensive machines, it's a wonder Hilo has them in the first place.

The same arguments could be made if a plane landed in Hilo with an engine problem and the engine needed replacing. That'll cause a delay as well which could be mitigated if every type of engine that might break is available at the airport (plus the skilled staff to carry out the job), but that just isn't economically viable.