Alaska’s largest regional airline files for Chapter 11

There is no doubt the financial impact of the current Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic is having a massive effect on the global aviation industry. Airlines around the world struggling to meet commitments and ever-mounting outgoings, with so little coming in that it was only a matter of time before bankruptcies and collapses started to come into the news. Thomas Cook Aviation,  the German charter airline was one of Europe's first airlines to collapse due to the pandemic and now, the  RavnAir Group is one of the first in North America to do so.

The RavnAir Group, Alaska’s largest regional airline has grounded its seventy-two aircraft,  stopped all operations, temporarily laid-off all employees and sought Chapter 11 protection in order to obtain immediate Debtor-in-Possession (DIP) funding.

The management took those actions in the hope the carrier has a future, to give it time to “hit pause” for a while as it seeks some federal funding from part of the CARES Act as well as search for other sources of financial assistance.   

Passenger dies following Saab 2000 plane crash in Alaska.

The US National Transportation Safety Board has dispatched a team of nine investigators to Unalaska-Tom Madsen Airport, following a runway overrun of a PenAir Saab 2000 which left one passenger dead.

The twenty-four and a half-year-old aircraft departed Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage, Alaska, at 1515 on Thursday 17th October, bound for Unalaska Airport.  According to local reports, the flight crew made two approaches to the airport, the first was aborted and the second resulted in an overrun. 

The turboprop touched down at around 1740 local time on runway 13, but it didn't stop when it came to the end of the runway, crossed a road and slightly tumbled down a rocky sea defence on the edge of Dutch Harbour some 500 feet from the airport.  

Ravn Air Group confirms acquisition of the PenAir assets.

Ravn Air Group, Inc. has announced today the purchase of the assets of Peninsula Airways by one of its subsidiaries.  PenAir has its HQ in Anchorage, Alaska and operated passenger, cargo and charter flights to seven destinations in Southwest Alaska and the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands. 

Ravn is a leading provider of regional air services in Alaska, employing over 1,000 employees in the state, has a fleet of almost 70 aircraft, which provides passenger, freight, and charter air transportation services to over 115 destinations throughout Alaska.

"This is a big win for Ravn Air Group, as well as for PenAir and all of our team members, customers, and Alaska communities," said Dave Pflieger, President and CEO of Ravn. "The two companies coming together provides an incredible opportunity to better connect Alaska, with the ability to provide broader, more reliable, and more consistent service."