Summary
Ravn Alaska has a rich history tracing back to 1948 under various name changes due to mergers and acquisitions.
The airline faced bankruptcy in 2020 amidst the travel disruption due to Covid-19, leading to significant losses.
Ravn Alaska was reinvigorated under new ownership and now operates primarily with Dash-8s, considering diversifying its fleet.
Ravn Alaska is a small airline based in Alaska and serves small communities in this non-contiguous state of the US in the northwest of North America. Ravn Alaska is the trading name of New Pacific Airlines, an enterprise that can be traced back to 1948. In this article, we will look at everything you need to know about this airline, whose name should be pronounced like you would pronounce the bird Raven.
Related Ready To Expand? A Look At The Ravn Alaska Fleet
Important events in Ravn’s 76-years-old history
Ravn Alaska’s history can be traced to the formation of Economy Helicopters, a company founded by Carl Brady. A few years later, the company was rebranded as Era Helicopters. Rowan Companies purchased Era Helicopters in 1967. Rowan Companies, now known as Valaris Limited (after the merger with Valaris), is a master in offshore oil drilling.
Photo: Michael Rosebrock | Shutterstock
The helicopters of Era have played their role in the construction of Alyeska Pipeline, an 800-mile diameter pipeline that transports oil from the northern parts of Alaska to the south-central region. Era Aviation was renamed as Era Aviation in 1988, underwent various name changes in subsequent years, and settled with the name Ravn Alaska in 2014.
After this time, the operations of the airline also shifted, reported Sumit Singh, senior editor for Simple Flying, he quotes the airline is to have said:
“Our charter operations fly to any destination with acceptable landing conditions and facilities. This moniker is a nod to the aerial talents of the iconic Alaskan raven, its ubiquity throughout the state, and its importance in Alaska Native culture.”
Filing for bankruptcy in 2020
2020 was a tough year for Ravn, as it filed for bankruptcy. This was amidst travel disruption due to Covid-19, which was particularly brutal on the aviation industry as more than half a dozen airlines around the world were killed. Ravn filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and the resulting stoppage of a number of air operation routes in Alaska was difficult for the communities in the state.
Photo: Ravn Alaska
Here are a few numbers that reflect the scope of the bankruptcy of the Alaskan carrier:
More than 90% of the carrier’s revenue dropped due to travel restrictions following the pandemic. More than a hundred communities were affected as a result. 72 aircraft of the airline would be parked, while 1,300 employees of Ravn were to be unemployed.
Around the end of the year, though, the carrier was reinvigorated under new ownership and management. Spearheaded by Rob Mckinney, “a key figure in FLOAT Shuttle, which purchased RavnAir assets ahead of the relaunch”, Ravn started operating again.
Ravn Alaska’s fleet
Ravn Alaska has a fleet of only Dash-8s. Let’s take a look at a few details.
Fleet Size8 (7 of which are in service and 1 is parked Aircraft typesDe Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8 Average age of aircraft31.4 years (of the ones in service) 29.6 (the one that is parked)
The parked aircraft of Ravn Alaska is the newest of all the DHC-8 the carrier owns. It was delivered to Ravn (in 2021) by Corvus Aviation, which delivered all the Dash-8s owned by this Anchorage-headquartered airline. The second youngest of Ravn’s aircraft (29.8 years) was delivered in 2015, while Ravn received all its existing planes in June 2014. According to data from planespotters.net, the oldest aircraft Ravn Alaska owns is registered 883EA and is 33.5 years old.
Photo: Ravn Alaska
All the DHC-8s of the carrier that are currently in service are DHC-8-100 types that offer 37 seats in the economy class. There are no business-class, first-class, or premium economy options in any aircraft the carrier owns. The only parked aircraft of this carrier is a DHC-8-300 type with a capacity for 50 passengers.
Diversification of fleet
A couple of years ago, Jake Hardiman reported for Simple Flying that Ravn was looking to diversity its fleet:
“..June 2020 saw the carrier sign a deal for 50 carbon-neutral eSTOL aircraft. The company that it has consulted on the matter is Airflow. Such aircraft would be ideal for its flights, given the small, remote Alaskan airports that it serves. That same month, it also emerged that the airline’s parent company, FLOAT Alaska, had ambitions to establish a low-cost startup using Boeing 757s.”
Lab alumni Airflow has signed a deal with Ravn Alaska for 50 eSTOL aircraft. Photo: Airflow
However, no new aircraft have been added to the carrier’s fleet.
Recent developments of Ravn Aviation
In 2016, Anchorage Daily News reported that the lack of competitors in the Alaskan market was one of the reasons why the airfares on Ravn Aviation was a tad higher compared to other domestic routes that are comparably longer than the ones served by Ravn:
“Flying in rural Alaska is expensive. Here in Anchorage, we’re spoiled with great fares, fueled by fierce competition. For example, you can fly from Anchorage to Los Angeles for as little as $263 round trip on Delta. Compare that with a 45-minute flight on Ravn from Nome to Savoonga for $513 round trip. Or a 25-minute flight between Barrow and Wainwright for $430 round trip.”
Related Regional Airline Ravn Alaska Lays Off 130 Employees
The airline filed for bankruptcy in 2020.
Since then, the carrier observed the lowest of its lows as it filed for bankruptcy four years ago and bounced back remarkably. It also served some of the most delectable cookies onboard. However, after a layoff of 130 employees resulting from “ inefficiencies inherited from its previous owner as well as challenges, including inflation, unexpected competition in its route network, and labor shortages” half a year ago meant that the aviation community wondered if the airline was headed down for some dark days ahead.
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Publish date : 2024-08-08 14:30:00
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