People looking to fly from Kenai to Anchorage may have another airline to choose from come May.
A resolution to be considered by the Kenai City Council during their April 21 meeting would authorize City Manager Paul Ostrander to enter into an airline operating agreement and terminal area lease with Rambler Air, LLC.
Rambler Air would join Grant Aviation and Ravn Alaska in offering scheduled service between the Kenai Airport and Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage. According to a resolution from Kenai Municipal Airport Manager Mary Bondurant to the council, the company hopes to start the service next month and is currently awaiting approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.
According to its website, Ascent Global Logistics announced the launch of Rambler Air on Nov. 30, 2020, including the acquisition of Hageland Aviation Services, Inc.
“Rambler Air is a new Alaska-based air service provider focused on reliable, safe air travel for scheduled commuter flights as well as passenger and cargo charters within rural Alaska,” the site says.
The company’s fleet will include eight Piper Chieftain Navajos and two Beechcraft 1900Ds with headquarters at Lake Hood in Alaska. The company has a stated goal of “filling the void” left by changes in Alaskan air taxi carriers that were left in charter and scheduled route service.
The Kenai Municipal Airport is coming off a rough year that saw the number of people using the airport plummet and an earlier iteration of Ravn file for bankruptcy last spring. The company relaunched last fall and offered service between Anchorage and five other Alaskan communities, including Kenai and Homer.
Bondurant announced earlier this year that she would also be retiring as airport manager after agreeing to stay on longer than she initially planned to help the airport respond to the pandemic.
More information about Rambler Air can be found at ramblerair.com.
Reach reporter Ashlyn O’Hara at ashlyn.ohara@gmail.com.
