Wings of Alaska was an American scheduled and charter airline company based in Juneau in the U.S. state of Alaska.[1]

Wings of Alaska
IATA ICAO Callsign
K5 SQH SASQUACH
Founded1982
Ceased operationsMarch 13, 2017
HubsJuneau International Airport
Focus citiesSkagway, Haines, Gustavus (Glacier Bay), Hoonah (Icy Straight), Juneau
Fleet size2
Destinations5
Parent companyGlacial Aviation
HeadquartersJuneau, Alaska, USA
Key peopleAldwin Harder-Managing Partner
Websitewww.wingsofalaska.com

History edit

Wings of Alaska was set up in 1982 to provide scheduled, chartered and freight flights services to many of the communities across Southeast, Alaska. Wings of Alaska was one of seven airlines in Alaska with the Medallion Foundation Shield, which has strict safety and operational guidelines that exceed the Federal Aviation Regulations. Wings was the only scheduled land-based airline in Southeast Alaska to have earned this Shield.[2] Wings' fleet was equipped with state-of-the-art Chelton Flight Systems Capstone Program, offering "Highway In The Sky" technology.

In 2008, Wings of Alaska was acquired by SeaPort Airlines. Following the acquisition, its headquarters were moved to Portland, Oregon. The combined airline maintained a single FAA operating certificate to operate single scheduled and non-scheduled flights in the Lower 48 market.

In 2015 Wings of Alaska was acquired from Seaport Airlines, by a locally owned Alaska business partnership, Fjord Flying Services, but continued to operate under the Wings of Alaska name. The company said it planned to focus on the locals and connections within the state itself, rather than connections to the continental U.S.[3]

In March 2017, Wings of Alaska announced that it was going out of business, ceasing operations immediately.[4]

Destinations edit

Wings of Alaska operated scheduled flights to the following locations in Alaska:

City ICAO Airport
Juneau JNU Juneau International Airport
Gustavus GST Gustavus Airport
Haines HNS Haines Airport
Hoonah HNH Hoonah Airport
Skagway SGY Skagway Airport

Former scheduled destinations:[5]

City ICAO Airport
Excursion Inlet EXI Excursion Inlet Seaplane Base

They also have charter service throughout Alaska.

Fleet edit

A list of aircraft used by Wings of Alaska:[6]

Aircraft In service Passengers
Cessna 207 1 5
Cessna U206 1 5

Incidents edit

Wings of Alaska Flight 202, a Cessna 207 carrying one pilot and four passengers, crashed into a mountain between Juneau and Hoonah on July 17, 2015, killing the pilot. All four passengers survived. The National Transportation Safety Board investigated the crash and determined the cause was pilot error due to unfavorable weather conditions.[7] Mechanical failure was not a factor in the crash.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Contact Us." Wings of Alaska. Retrieved on July 18, 2010. "Mailing Address: Wings of Alaska 8421 Livingston Way Juneau, AK 99801-8098"
  2. ^ Wings of Alaska, official website
  3. ^ DeGrave, Sam (12 October 2015). "Wings of Alaska sold - Gustavus charter company takes over Saturday". Juneau Empire. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  4. ^ Files, Emily (March 13, 2017). "Empire: Wings of Alaska shuts down". KHNS. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  5. ^ "Summer Schedule, Effective May 6, 2009 thru September 8, 2009". Wings of Alaska. 2009-05-06. Retrieved 2009-07-04.
  6. ^ FAA registry - Glacial Aviation
  7. ^ "Wreckage recovered from Southeast Alaska plane crash; investigation continues". Alaska Dispatch News. July 20, 2015. Retrieved July 23, 2015.

External links edit