Featured Image Credit: Witthaya Prasongsin / Getty
The aviation industry has seen its share of setbacks in recent years. Pandemic-related closures, all the way to economic pressures, have forced even established carriers out of the sky.
One viral YouTube video showed the grim reality through an aeroplane graveyard. According to the documentary, this eerie place contains rows and rows of planes waiting to be salvaged by budget airlines.
Now, another airline has joined that unfortunate list after serving its community for over six decades.
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Serving communities across Alaska since 1959, Kenai Aviation has declared itself 'financially insolvent' and ceased all operations. The American airline has cancelled every scheduled flight with immediate effect.
"Where some see passengers, I see connecting Alaskans" said Joel Caldwell, owner of Kenai Aviation, in an emotional statement following the airline's collapse.
"I see people I care about. I see a vibrant airline, full flights, growth, and the best crew of mechanics, ground staff, and pilots that I have ever had the pleasure of working with."
He announced: "By all operational metrics, Kenai Aviation is successful. But yet, we are financially insolvent."
Leading up to the insolvency, Caldwell explained: "At the end of 2017, I was sitting at my kitchen table in Kenai when I received the call that Jim Bielefeld [Kenai's airport commissioner] was just about to finalise shutting down Kenai Aviation, but if I wanted to act quickly, we could step in and keep this historic airline alive.
"It was only a few years later that I watched our first scheduled flight take off."
He added that when Covid happened, it added a 'debt load' to Kenai Aviation that they 'haven't been able to get back on top of.'
Caldwell continued: "Carrying that burden increased the effects of every obstacle that we’ve had to navigate.
"When our plane was grounded for maintenance and not being able to serve Unalakleet this summer, not only hurt a community that I love, it hurt us financially too."
Kenai Aviation had managed to keep flying, noting that their 'flights to Anchorage are full', but eventually financial issues caught up.
Despite the devastating closure, Caldwell made clear he's not giving up on serving Alaskan communities.
"We have to cease all operations immediately. I am devastated," Caldwell concluded. "Our operations may stop, but this vision continues. While today all flights cease operations, who knows what tomorrow will hold. It's hard to ground a vision."
