Ravn Alaska

New Pacific Airlines, Inc.

Company type	Private
Industry	Airline
Founded	1948
Founder	Carl Brady
Headquarters	Anchorage , United States
Area served	Alaska
Key people	Rob McKinney (CEO), Tom Hsieh (President)
Products	Regional air transportation services
Owner	FLOAT Alaska LLC
Number of employees	Over 270
Parent	FLOAT Alaska LLC

New Pacific Airlines, Inc., operating under the trade name Ravn Alaska, is an airline based in Alaska that concentrates on providing air service to smaller, remote communities throughout the state. Its corporate headquarters are located in Anchorage, with its main operational base situated at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.

Ravn Alaska currently serves a network of 12 communities within Alaska, conducting all flights under the Ravn brand. The company’s name is pronounced identically to the bird, Raven.

History

The origins of Ravn date back to June 20, 1948, when Carl Brady established Economy Helicopters. Brady was notable for piloting the first commercial helicopter into Alaska as part of a U.S. government mapping assignment. This enterprise eventually evolved into Era Helicopters, which is now incorporated within the Bristow Group.

In 1967, Houston-based Rowan Companies purchased the company, which primarily provided support services for offshore oil exploration and played a key role in constructing the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System. During the pipeline’s development phase, Era initiated a fixed-wing aircraft division utilizing DeHavilland Twin Otters and Convair 580s.

By May 1983, Era had expanded its operations to include scheduled passenger flights. Convair aircraft served destinations such as Valdez, Kenai, Kodiak, Cordova, and Homer, while Twin Otters operated routes from Bethel to adjacent smaller communities.

In 1988, Era Helicopters reorganized as Era Aviation, establishing distinct divisions including what became an independent Era Helicopters entity. Between 2004 and 2006, Era experienced two changes in ownership, divested Era Helicopters, and successfully emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Early in 2009, HoTH Inc., which owned Hageland Aviation Services and Frontier Flying Service, acquired Era Aviation but excluded Era Helicopters from this transaction. Later that year, HoTH also purchased Arctic Circle Air Service. The consolidated group adopted the name Era Alaska, capitalizing on the established recognition of the Era brand.

To clarify branding and avoid confusion with other Era-related companies (including the publicly traded Era Helicopters), the airline group was renamed Ravn Alaska in January 2014. Under this restructuring, Era Airlines was rebranded as Corvus Airlines; meanwhile, Hageland Aviation Services and Frontier Flying Service operated collectively as Ravn Connect.

In August 2016, New York-based private equity firm J.F. Lehman and Co. acquired a controlling interest in Ravn Alaska; CEO Bob Hajdukovich maintained a minority ownership stake.

On March 5, 2017, Ravn purchased all assets of Yute Air, a subsidiary of Flight Alaska, taking over its routes following Yute Air’s cessation of operations.

In January 2018, Ravn obtained Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval to implement a safety management system consistent with those employed by larger U.S. carriers.

Corporate Profile

- Location of headquarters: Anchorage, Alaska - Chief Executive Officer: Rob McKinney - President: Tom Hsieh - Number of aircraft: 16 - Workforce: Over 270 employees - Parent entity: FLOAT Alaska LLC

Ravn Alaska’s operational strategy centers on linking isolated Alaskan communities via regional air transportation. The company has enhanced its market position and operational capabilities within Alaska’s aviation sector through targeted acquisitions and strategic rebranding initiatives.

Pandemic shutdown and Chapter 11 bankruptcy

On April 5, 2020, due to travel interruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Ravn halted all flight operations, terminated its entire workforce, and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The North Slope Borough sought to take control of the airline's assets to continue providing air service to remote communities; however, the Alaska Attorney General determined that they did not possess the legal authority to do so. This abrupt stoppage left numerous rural Alaskan communities isolated, prompting smaller operators such as Wright Air Service to offer charter flights as a temporary solution.

During the bankruptcy auction held in July 2020, Ravn Connect's part 135 operations were acquired by other regional Alaskan airlines. Meanwhile, the part 121 carriers Corvus Airlines and PenAir were purchased by FLOAT Shuttle, a commuter airline based in Los Angeles.

Resumption of operations

Ravn Alaska was granted permission by the FAA to recommence operations on October 14, 2020. By November 13, the airline had resumed public charter services connecting Anchorage with Dutch Harbor, Homer, Kenai, Sand Point, and Valdez. Scheduled route authority was approved on November 30, enabling Ravn Alaska to restart regular flights on primary routes including Anchorage and Kodiak.

In 2021, the parent company of Ravn announced the creation of Northern Pacific Airways, a low-cost carrier focused on transpacific routes via Anchorage utilizing Boeing 757 aircraft, with plans for launch in 2023. That same year, Corvus Airlines was rebranded as Northern Pacific Airways.

On February 23, 2024, CEO Rob McKinney revealed plans to reduce staff by 130 employees citing inflationary pressures, labor shortages, and heightened competition on select routes.

Fleet

The aircraft operated by Ravn Alaska include:

Ravn Alaska fleet

Aircraft	Quantity	Seating capacity	Remarks
de Havilland DHC-8-100	7	29–37	9 assigned to Corvus Airlines
de Havilland DHC-8-300	1	50	Delivered on July 3, 2021
Boeing 757-200	4	189	Operated by New Pacific Airlines
Total	12

Previously operated aircraft models include Beechcraft 1900, Cessna Caravan 208B, Piper Navajo, Convair 580, and de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter.

Destinations

Historically serving over one hundred communities throughout Alaska, Ravn Alaska currently provides scheduled flights to six destinations and offers charter services across the state.

Media appearances

Between January 2011 and July 2012, Discovery Channel’s Flying Wild Alaska aired three seasons documenting Era Alaska’s operations and showcasing its significance in regional aviation.

Accidents and incidents

The following accidents pertain to former subsidiaries within the Ravn Air Group prior to the bankruptcy filing in 2020. Significant incidents include:

• November 1997: Hageland Aviation Flight 500 crashed due to icing conditions combined with pilot error, resulting in eight fatalities.
• December 2002: A Beechcraft 1900C crashed in Arkansas during a pre-purchase inspection flight; all three pilots onboard perished, including Hageland Aviation’s president.
• November 2013: Flight 1453 crashed near St. Mary’s Airport causing four deaths.
• August 2016: A midair collision involving a Ravn Connect Cessna 208B led to five fatalities.
• October 2016: A Cessna 208B accident near Togiak resulted in three deaths.

While these events affected the group’s safety record historically, they occurred prior to the current organizational structure.

See also

• Buffalo Airways – An additional carrier showcased in a reality television series