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| Founded | June 20, 1948; 76 years ago (1948-06-20) (as Economy Helicopters) | ||||||
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| AOC # | 7C7A855N[1] | ||||||
| Hubs | Anchorage | ||||||
| Fleet size | 16 | ||||||
| Parent company | FLOAT Alaska LLC | ||||||
| Headquarters | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | ||||||
| Key people | Rob McKinney (CEO) Tom Hsieh (President) - (CFO) | ||||||
| Employees | 270+ | ||||||
| Website | ravnalaska | ||||||
New Pacific Airlines, Inc.,d.b.a.Ravn Alaska, is an Alaskan airline that specializes in serving small communities in the US state ofAlaska. The airline is headquartered inAnchorage,[2] which is also home to its primary hub,Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.
Ravn Alaska currently serves 12 communities in Alaska. Northern Pacific operates all of its flights using the Ravn Alaska brand. The company pronounces its name Ravn like the bird,Raven.
Northern Pacific traces its roots to June 20, 1948, and the founding ofEconomy Helicopters. The company was founded by Carl Brady; he flew the first commercial helicopter to Alaska to work on a mapping contract for the U.S. government. In the years that followed, Economy Helicopters renamed itselfEra Helicopters (now a part ofBristow Group).
In 1967, Houston basedRowan Companies, purchased the company from the founder.[3]
Most of its business was supportingoffshore oil drilling. Era's helicopters also supported the efforts to build theAlyeska Pipeline. During construction of the pipeline, the company started its fixed-wing division, based onDeHaviland Twin Otter andConvair 580 aircraft.[4]
After the construction of the pipeline, Era saw an opportunity to expand to scheduled passenger service, which they introduced in May 1983. The Convair planes were used for service to Valdez, Kenai, Kodiak, Cordova, and Homer. The Twin Otter fleet was based out of Bethel and operated service to many of the small communities surrounding it.
In 1988, Era Helicopters formally changed its name toEra Aviation, and changed structure and creating a division, still known as Era Helicopters, now a part ofBristow Group, alongside Era Aviation.
The company endured a very turbulent transition between December 2004 and December 2006, which saw two changes in ownership, the spinoff of the Era Helicopters division (on July 1, 2004), and the company entering (in very late 2005) and emerging from Chapter 11 Bankruptcy.[5]
In early 2009, HoTH Inc., the holding company that ownedHageland Aviation Services andFrontier Flying Service, purchased Era Aviation.[5] However, Era Helicopters was not part of the acquisition (having left common ownership on July 1, 2004, when both were under SEACOR ownership).[6] In October 2009, HoTH Inc. also acquiredArctic Circle Air Service, a local cargo airline.[7] The combined air group rebranded itself asEra Alaska, taking advantage of Era's recognizable name.[8]
In January 2014, the companies were renamed once again in what the company says was an effort to decrease confusion and distinguish it from other companies that are named Era,[9] including the former division and original operation of predecessor Era Aviation, then known as Era Helicopters/Era Group, which at this time was a publicly trading independent company.[6] The combined air group Era Alaska was renamedRavn Alaska,[10] Era Airlines was renamed Corvus Airlines,[11] and while Hageland Aviation Services and Frontier Flying Service would keep their names, they both began operating as Ravn Connect.[12]
In August 2016, theNew York-basedJ.F. Lehman and Co. acquired a majority stake in Ravn. The remaining shares were retained by Bob Hajdukovich, then CEO of the company.[10]
Ravn Alaska purchased all of the aircraft and other owned assets ofYute Air on March 5, 2017, as the latter shutdown, and took over the Yute Air routes.[13]
In January 2018, Ravn Alaska received approval from theFederal Aviation Administration to put in place asafety management system similar to those implemented by larger airlines across the USA.[14][15]
On April 5, 2020, in the midst of travel disruptions due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, Ravn shut down its entire operation, laid off all staff, and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.[16][17][18][19]
The leadership of theNorth Slope Borough attempted to take possession of the airline's assets in order to maintain flights and shipments to their rural communities, but theAlaska Attorney General said that they did not have authority for this action.[20]The sudden stoppage of all operations stranded dozens of communities in rural Alaska, leaving them without regularly scheduled air service.Wright Air Service and other small air carriers have been performing air service on a charter flight basis.[citation needed]
At the bankruptcy auction in July 2020, the Ravn Connectpart 135 airline was sold in pieces to other airlines of Alaska. Thepart 121 airlines Corvus Airlines andPenAir were sold toFLOAT Shuttle, a commuter service based inLos Angeles.[21]
On October 14, 2020, Ravn Alaska received approvals from the FAA to resume operations.[22] On November 13, 2020, while awaiting approval from the US Department of Transportation authority for scheduled operations, the airline resumed service to Dutch Harbor (Unalaska), Homer, Kenai, Sand Point, and Valdez using Public Charters managed by "Ravn Travel." Each market was served 4 days a week from Anchorage.[23] On November 30, scheduled route authority was received from the US Department of Transportation, and the airline resumed scheduled flights to and from Anchorage, Dutch Harbor (Unalaska), Homer, Kenai, Kodiak, and Sand Point under the name Ravn Alaska.[24]
In 2021, Ravn Alaska's parent company announced plans to launchNorthern Pacific Airways, a newlow-cost airline that would fly passengers between North America and Asia via a stopover atTed Stevens Anchorage International Airport. The new airline is planned to commence operations in 2023 usingBoeing 757 aircraft.[25] In 2021,Corvus Airlines was renamed toNorthern Pacific Airways.
On February 23, 2024, CEO Rob McKinney announced that 130 employees had been laid off amid increasing financial difficulties. He cited inflation, labor shortages and unexpected competition on some of Ravn’s routes.[26]
The Ravn Alaska fleet includes the following aircraft:
| Aircraft | Number | Seats | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| de Havilland DHC-8-100 | 7 | 29–37 | 9Corvus Airlines |
| de Havilland DHC-8-300 | 1[27] | 50 | Delivered July 3, 2021 |
| Boeing 757-200 | 4 | 189 | (New Pacific Airlines) |
| Total | 12 | ||
Previously, Ravn Alaska offered scheduled service to over 100 Alaskan cities and communities.[28] Currently, Ravn Alaska serves 6 communities and provides statewide charter service.[29]
Beginning on January 14, 2011,Discovery Channel'sFlying Wild Alaska showcased Era Alaska's daily operations. It aired until July 20, 2012, totaling 31 episodes over three seasons.[30]
None of the accidents below were by the air carrier certificate Northern Pacific Airways f/k/a Corvus Airlines. These were all by other certificates owned by the Ravn Air Group that was dissolved in bankruptcy in 2020.
RavnAir Group 4700 Old International Airport Road Anchorage, AK 99502
