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Kenai Aviation Halts All Flights After Declaring Insolvency

Owner Joel Caldwell says pandemic-era debt forced the shutdown after the bank called the loans.

Overview

  • Operations were suspended on November 3 with immediate cancellations across the carrier’s Southcentral and Western Alaska network.
  • Unalakleet is left without regularly scheduled air service following the halt, according to local reporting.
  • Caldwell cites a lingering COVID-19 debt load and a summer maintenance grounding that disrupted the AnchorageUnalakleet link as key pressures.
  • The Part 135 airline flew a small fleet and held an Essential Air Service contract on AnchorageSeward, while the U.S. DOT had been seeking a replacement operator for Unalakleet.
  • Caldwell says he is pursuing investors or partners to restart operations, as the closure follows the recent collapse of Ravn Alaska.