On Sunday, RavnAir Group announced that it is grounding all aircraft immediately, including flights to and from Unalaska. This leaves the city without any commercial flights.
RavnAir has parked its entire fleet of aircraft, halted all operations, and “temporarily” laid off all staff, according to a press release issued by spokeswoman Deb Reinwand.
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“These actions will allow the company to ‘hit pause’ and await word on its Federal CARES Act grant applications and other sources of financial assistance,” the release read.
As of yet, it is unclear whether RavnAir pilots and planes will be available for private charter flights.
This news comes after several days of uncertainty surrounding the company and its operations. As recently as Friday, RavnAir Chief Commercial Officer Derek Shanks said that the airline would “commit” to providing four flights a week to Unalaska. The day before, the city had reportedly been informed that the airline was ceasing commercial service to Unalaska.
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When reached for comment, Unalaska city representatives had little to add. “Honestly, this is what we were anticipating on Thursday,” said Erin Reinders, city manager.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
