Ravn Alaska Shuts Down After 77 Years

‍ANCHORAGE — Alaskan regional carrier Ravn Alaska (7H) has ceased all operations following years of financial struggles.

The carrier flew its last flight on August 5, a short hop from Valdez (VDZ) to its home base and headquarters city, Anchorage (ANC), using, at the time, its sole De Havilland Canada Dash 8-100; N891EA.

Ravn’s operations had been progressively winding down in recent years, with all 11 of its Dash 8s being withdrawn from service, stored, sold, or returned to its lessor, until just one remained and was also withdrawn as operations ceased.

At its peak, 7H served more than 115 destinations across Alaska, a number that dwindled to just six by early 2025. In May, it provided a notice to the U.S. federal government that it intended to terminate service to Valdez and St. Paul Island (SNP) from Anchorage in September, both subsidized under the Essential Air Service program. 

CEO Tom Hsieh said in response that the decision was due to a “significant and unanticipated” reduction in the size of their fleet, with lessor Avmax deciding not to extend leases on of their Dash 8s. The two destinations would have been among the last served by the carrier, plus Bethel (BET).

Other carriers and the U.S. Department of Transportation are working to fill the void left by 7H's sudden shutdown.

Speaking to the Anchorage Daily News, Tom Hsieh confirmed that all flights have been cancelled and that he could not yet say how many employees would be laid off.

New Pacific Airlines, the charter carrier owned by the same parent company and operated under the same part 121 air operator’s certificate, remains unaffected by Ravn’s shutdown.

History of Financial Troubles

On April 5, 2020, 7H halted all services due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and in response, laid off all of its staff, consisting of around 1,000 employees, and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. That July, the part 135 subsidiary Ravn Connect (H6; Hageland Aviation) was sold at bankruptcy auction to multiple other airlines, including its fleet of 33 aircraft, including Beechcraft 1900s, Piper Navajos, Cessna 207s, and Cessna 208Bs.

Corvus Airlines and PenAir, operating as Ravn Alaska proper under part 121, were sold to FLOAT Shuttle, a commuter carrier set to operate Cessna 208s in the greater Los Angeles area.

In October of the same year, Ravn Alaska received approval to resume operations from the FAA under a new parent company: FLOAT Alaska. Flights resumed that November to Unalaska (DUT), Homer (HOM), Kenai (ENA), Sand Point (SDP), and Valdez, using the airline’s existing fleet assets of 10 Dash 8-100s. A 50-seat Dash 8-300 was added the following year.

In 2021, FLOAT Alaska announced its intention to restart Corvus Airlines under the name Northern Pacific Airlines, operating a low-cost intercontinental model with Boeing 757s based in Anchorage. The carrier started operations in 2023 from Ontario, California.

The financial struggles began to take a serious toll in early 2024 as Ravn laid off nearly a third of its workforce, blaming inflation, labour shortages (what?), and competition. A few months later, Northern Pacific, now renamed New Pacific, ended all scheduled flights with its 4 Boeing 757-200s to focus on charter services, primarily for sports teams.

From early 2023, Ravn’s fleet slowly began to shrink. On July 22, 2025, it consisted of just 1 Dash 8-100. On August 5th, it operated flight 7H309 from Valdez to Anchorage, Ravn Alaska’s final scheduled passenger service.

The airline’s website now reads a statement, saying, “Thank you for flying with Ravn. We appreciate the years of service we were able to provide to Alaska communities. While we are no longer operating flights in Alaska, we’re grateful for the trust you placed in us during our time serving the region.”