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| Founded | 1971 | ||||||
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| Fleet size | 68 | ||||||
| Destinations | 72 | ||||||
| Parent company | AE Industrial Partners [1] | ||||||
| Headquarters | Provo, Utah, United States | ||||||
| Key people |
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| Website | alpine-air | ||||||
Alpine Air Express is an American airline based in Provo, Utah. [2] [3] It operates scheduled and chartered air cargo services on over 100 routes throughout Utah, Montana, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Idaho, and Colorado.
The airline was established in 1971 and received its Air Carrier Certificate in 1979. It originally operated scheduled passenger and cargo services, aircraft maintenance and a flight school with passenger services being discontinued in 1999. [4]
While Alpine Air was performing scheduled passenger operations in the 1980s and 1990s, it served the following cities in Utah, Colorado, and Nevada:
Some cities were served by Scenic Aviation and Castle Valley Aviation, on-demand charter services operating on behalf of Alpine Air. [5]
In 2001 the company began their shift towards a larger cargo presence with their first public trade of stock and their first Beech 1900 being placed into service. It was this same year which they commenced operations out of their new Provo facility. [4]
The airline tried to establish Alpine Air Chile, [6] in an attempt to enter Chile's air freight market. The project was not successful and was discontinued in 2005, with three Beechcraft 1900C being re-integrated into the US fleet. [7]
Alpine Air Express now currently only operates CFR Part 135 scheduled and chartered [8] cargo operations.
The Alpine Air Express fleet includes the following aircraft.
| Aircraft | In fleet |
|---|---|
| Raytheon Beech 1900C | 30 |
| Raytheon Beech 1900D | 22 |
| Beechcraft Model 99 | 14 |
| Beechcraft Super King Air | 1 |
| Cessna 208 Caravan | 1 |
| Total | 68 |
As of May 2019 AE Industrial Partners acquired majority interest in Alpine Air Express. Alpine CEO Michael Dancy stated "AEI is a perfect partner for us given their deep industry knowledge and experience working with unique, growing platforms throughout the aviation marketplace, we look forward to our partnership with AEI as we enter our next chapter of growth and execute on key strategic initiatives." [9]
In April 2020 Alpine Air Express purchased assets of the defunct Great Lakes Airlines which included 27 aircraft and various parts, engines, propellers and ground support equipment. Included are 25 Beech 1900D aircraft that are to be converted to cargo use through their "Super Freighter" Supplemental Type Certificate.
In December 2022 Alpine Air Express acquired Suburban Air Freight, another CFR Part-135 cargo airline based in Omaha, NE . [10] Suburban Air, like Alpine, has a majority Beech 1900 fleet allowing for easy integration of maintenance and operations.
 | This section needs additional citations for verification .(July 2020) |
In October 1992, an Alpine Air PA-42 deviated off course and crashed into a mesa in Grand Junction, Colorado, while operating as an airtaxi flight. There were three fatalities: the pilot and two passengers.
August 2004 – While operating a Billings to Kalispell, Montana, flight for the US Postal Service, the Beech 99 crashed into Big Baldy mountain, located near Great Falls. Two crewmembers died. [11] [12]
January 2008—An Alpine Air Raytheon Beech 1900 crashed into the Pacific Ocean on a cargo flight between Honolulu International Airport and Lihue Intl in Hawaii. This crash claimed one life: the pilot of the aircraft. [13] [14] [15]
May 2008—Upon departure from Billings, ATC instructed the Beech 1900C to turn left. The Part 135 cargo plane slowly turned right and crashed into a warehouse nearby. Witnesses say the plane was inverted prior to the crash which claimed the life of the single pilot on board. [16] [17]
In February 2010, a cargo door came unlatched on an airborne Alpine Air Express Beech 99 carrying mail from Billings, to Kalispell, Montana, at about 1:30 a.m. The plane was about 40 miles (64 km) north of Lewistown, Montana, when the pilot noted a light on the instrument panel had come on, indicating the door was unlatched. Because there was about 3,000 pounds (1,400 kg) of mail cargo in between the pilot and the door, he couldn't close it. Because the door is located below the plane's airstream, even when open it wouldn't compromise the ability to fly and land the plane. [11]
CommuteAir is a regional airline of the United States founded in 1989. Today, CommuteAir operates more than 1600 weekly flights, exclusively on behalf of United Express, serving over 75 U.S. destinations and 3 in Mexico. CommuteAir's fleet of Embraer ERJ-145 aircraft fly from its bases at Denver, Washington–Dulles, and Houston–Intercontinental. The company was previously called CommutAir until July 26, 2022, when it legally changed its name to the present-day CommuteAir.
Continental Express was the operating brand name used by a number of independently owned regional airlines providing commuter airliner and regional jet feeder service under agreement with Continental Airlines. In 2012 at the time of Continental's merger with United Airlines, two carriers were operating using the Continental Express brand name:
US Airways Express was the brand name for the regional affiliate of US Airways, under which a number of individually owned commuter air carriers and regional airlines operate short and medium haul routes. This code sharing service was previously operated as USAir Express. Mainline carriers often outsource to regional airlines to operate services in order to increase frequency, serve routes that would not sustain larger aircraft, or for other competitive reasons. US Airways Express operations were conducted from smaller markets in the United States, Canada, and the Bahamas primarily centered on US Airways' major hubs and focus cities.
Billings Logan International Airport is in the western United States, two miles northwest of downtown Billings, in Yellowstone County, Montana. It is the fourth largest airport in Montana, having been surpassed in recent years by Bozeman, Missoula, and Flathead County (Kalispell) in both number of gates as well as annual enplanements. Owned by the city of Billings, the airport is on top of the Rims, a 500-foot (150 m) cliff overlooking the downtown core, and covers 2,500 acres of land.
Cape Cod Gateway Airport, also known as Boardman/Polando Field and formerly known as Barnstable Municipal Airport, is a public airport located on Cape Cod, one mile (1.6 km) north of the central business district of Hyannis, in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. This airport is publicly owned by Town of Barnstable. It is Cape Cod's major airport as well as an air hub for the Cape and the Islands. The airport is served by scheduled commercial flights as well as charters and general aviation. Barnstable Municipal Airport served as a hub for Nantucket-based commuter airline Island Airlines until its shutdown in 2015.
Air Midwest Flight 5481 was a Beechcraft 1900D on a regularly scheduled passenger flight from Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, to Greenville–Spartanburg International Airport in Greer, South Carolina. On the morning of January 8, 2003, the Beechcraft stalled while departing Charlotte Douglas International Airport and crashed into an aircraft hangar, killing all 21 passengers and crew aboard and injuring one person on the ground.
Aerosucre S.A. is a cargo airline based in Bogotá, Colombia. It began operation in 1969 and operates scheduled international and domestic cargo services throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Its home base is El Dorado International Airport, Bogotá. Aerosucre has been involved in a number of accidents and incidents during its lifetime, and more recently, internet videos have emerged showcasing reckless behavior by its pilots.
Alaska Central Express is an airline based at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport in Anchorage, Alaska, United States. It is a cargo and small package express service.
The Beechcraft 1900 is a twin-engine turboprop regional airliner manufactured by Beechcraft. It is also used as a freight aircraft and corporate transport, and by several governmental and military organizations. With customers favoring larger regional jets, Raytheon ended production in October 2002.
Ameriflight LLC is an American cargo airline with headquarters at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. It is the largest United States FAA Part 135 cargo carrier, operating scheduled and contract cargo services from 19 bases to destinations in 250 cities across 43 US states as well as in Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America. Ameriflight serves major financial institutions, freight forwarders, laboratories, and overnight couriers in the US, and provides feeder services for overnight express carriers nationwide and internationally. Ameriflight averages 525 daily departures with over 100,000 combined flight hours annually and a 99.5% on-time performance. Ameriflight employs over 700 people.
Corporate Air is an airline based in Billings, Montana, United States. It was established in 1981 and operates primarily domestic scheduled cargo services, feeder service on behalf of FedEx Express, as well as the United States Postal Service. Its main base is Billings Logan International Airport.
Cascade Airways was an airline in the northwest United States which flew primarily regional air routes out of Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1969, it operated for 17 years and was shut down in 1986. Its IATA code (CZ) was later assigned to China Southern Airlines which was formed two years after Cascade's shutdown.
The Beechcraft Model 99 is a civilian aircraft produced by Beechcraft. It is also known as the Beech 99 Airliner and the Commuter 99. The 99 is a twin-engine, unpressurized, 15 to 17 passenger seat turboprop aircraft, derived from the earlier Beechcraft King Air and Queen Air. It uses the wings of the Queen Air, the engines and nacelles of the King Air, and sub-systems from both, with a specifically designed nose structure.
Wiggins Airways is an American cargo airline based in Manchester, New Hampshire, United States, operating from Manchester–Boston Regional Airport. It is a subsidiary of Ameriflight.
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United Express Flight 5925, operated by Great Lakes Airlines with a Beechcraft 1900 twin turboprop, was a regularly scheduled flight from Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Quincy, Illinois, with an intermediate stop in Burlington, Iowa. On November 19, 1996, the aircraft collided on landing at Quincy with another Beechcraft, a private King Air, that was taking off from an intersecting runway. The crash was known as the Quincy runway disaster. Fourteen people were killed as a result.
On 5 November 2010, JS Air Flight 201, a Beechcraft 1900 passenger aircraft on a charter service from Karachi to the Bhit Shah gas field in Sindh, Pakistan, crashed near Karachi's Jinnah International Airport, after suffering an engine malfunction at take-off. All 21 people on board were killed.
Air South was an airline from the United States. Founded as Nationwide Airlines Southeast in 1969, the company had its headquarters in St. Simons, Georgia. Out of its base at Atlanta Municipal Airport, Air South operated regional scheduled passenger flights within the southeastern USA, using a small fleet of Fairchild F-27 and Martin 4-0-4 aircraft, as well as the Beechcraft Model 99.
On Friday, January 3, 1992, a Beechcraft 1900 operating CommutAir Flight 4821 crashed into a wooded hillside near Gabriels, New York while conducting an ILS approach to Runway 23 at the Adirondack Regional Airport. The cause of the accident was determined to be pilot error. There were two people killed in the crash, and two survivors.
Alaska Central Express Flight 51 was an Alaska Central Express flight from Anchorage to King Salmon and Dillingham, Alaska. On 8 March 2013, the Beechcraft 1900C-1 serving the flight crashed into a mountain on approach to Dillingham Airport, killing both crew members on board.
