Alaska Airlines is catching up with rural cargo shipments after briefly grounding several of its 737-700s earlier this week.
Recent mechanical issues temporarily sidelined two of the company’s three Alaska cargo freighters, leaving just one designated aircraft to handle shipments statewide, according to Alaska Airlines spokesman Tim Thompson. The situation led to multiple canceled flights into hubs like Nome and Kotzebue, and a backlog of cargo deliveries just a few days before Christmas.
Now that the aircraft are back in service, Thompson said the airline is working to complete delayed shipments and make anticipated deliveries to Alaskans around the state.
“With it being this time of the year, coming up with the holiday just next week, we’re going to work pretty quickly to make sure we can fulfill that commitment,” he said.
Alaska Airlines delivers freight to 19 different airports across Alaska, Thompson said.
Kirsten Swann is a producer and reporter for Alaska Public Media.
