KENAI, Alaska (AP) — The coronavirus pandemic and the bankruptcy of an air carrier have combined to drastically reduce travel through the Kenai airport, an official said.
The Kenai Municipal Airport had 18,000 fewer passengers through May compared to same period during the previous year, The Peninsula Clarion reported Tuesday.
There were 6,441 passengers traveling out of Kenai in April 2019 and only 359 in April this year, Airport Manager Mary Bondurant said.
The airport had 7,198 passengers departures in May 2019 compared to 702 in May 2020.
The bankruptcy of RavnAir Group halted the carrier’s flights in early April, which Bondurant said “kind of put a stop to any real traveling out of the Kenai airport.”
SEE ALSO: Napaskiak says residents are facing discrimination after announcement of likely community spread
RavnAir cited the economic impact of the coronavirus when the company stopped operating on April 5, laying off staff and filing for bankruptcy protection.
The company operated more than 400 flights per day on 72 aircraft until COVID-19 struck and passenger traffic dropped more than 90%.
Before the coronavirus hit the state, about 75% of passengers leaving Kenai were on RavnAir flights, with the rest using Grant Aviation Inc. of Anchorage, which still operates in Kenai, Bondurant said.
RELATED: Alaska’s RavnAir Group approved for July bankruptcy sale
Grant operates nine-passenger airplanes, while RavnAir operated planes with more than 30 seats. The airport received about $400,000 annually in revenue from RavnAir and $130,000 from Grant prior to the pandemic, Bondurant said.
Bondurant would welcome the arrival of a new, larger carrier in Kenai.
“Hopefully, we’ll be successful in getting someone in here to pick that back up,” Bondurant said.
RELATED: Ravn says 30 bidders want to buy at least a piece of the company, but next steps are murky
