Certificates of public convenience and necessity

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, no person shall engage in air transportation unless the person holds a certificate issued by the air carrier commission authorizing its operation. (b) Applications for certificates shall be made in writing to the commission. Applications shall be in the proper form and contain the required information, with the proof of service upon the interested parties, as the commission shall require by rule. (c) A certificate shall be issued to any qualified applicant, authorizing the whole or any part of the operations covered by the application if it is found that the applicant is a citizen of the United States and fit, willing, and able to properly perform the service proposed and to conform to this chapter and the requirements and rules of the commission, and that the proposed service, to the extent to be authorized by the certificate, is required by the public convenience and necessity; otherwise the application shall be denied. The applicant shall have the burden of proof to establish that any proposed service is required by the public convenience and necessity. The commission shall institute an oral evidentiary hearing to consider any application for a certificate that would authorize the holder to use aircraft capable of carrying more than seventeen passengers. (d) Any applicant receiving a certificate under this chapter shall pay, upon receipt of the certificate, a registration fee and subsequent annual fee that shall be determined by the commission and deposited into the state general fund. (e) Any Hawaii air carrier engaging in air transportation under a certificate issued by the commission may occasionally deviate from the route over which it is authorized to operate under the certificate under rules adopted by the commission.