Ryan Air Services

Last updated

Ryan Air, Inc.
RyanAirServicesLogo.png
Ryan-Air-CASA-scaled.jpg
A Ryan Air Services' CASA C-212.
IATA ICAO Call sign
7S*RYARYAN AIR
Founded1953;72 years ago (1953)
AOC # UATA650A [1]
Hubs Aniak Airport
Bethel Airport
Emmonak Airport
Kotzebue Airport
Nome Airport
St. Mary's Airport
Unalakleet Airport
Fleet size23
Destinations Bush Alaska
Headquarters Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Key peopleLee Ryan, President, Wilfred P. Ryan Jr.
Employees170
Website http://www.ryanalaska.com/
CASA 212 CASA C212.jpg
CASA 212
Ryan Air's Pilatus PC-12 for passenger aircraft charter Pilatus PC-12.jpg
Ryan Air's Pilatus PC-12 for passenger aircraft charter
CASA 212 N348CA (42206597210).jpg
CASA 212
Company president Wilfred "Boyuck" Ryan (left) with Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities Commissioner Leo von Scheben and Alaska governor Sarah Palin in May 2008 Sarah Palin seated.jpg
Company president Wilfred "Boyuck" Ryan (left) with Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities Commissioner Leo von Scheben and Alaska governor Sarah Palin in May 2008

Ryan Air, Inc., is an American airline that serves over 70 villages in Bush Alaska out of hubs in Anchorage, Aniak, Bethel, Emmonak, Kotzebue, Nome, St. Mary's, and Unalakleet. Offering primarily cargo services, Ryan Air also operates scheduled passenger service out of Aniak, and passenger or cargo charters throughout Alaska. [2]

Contents

History

Ryan Air was established in 1953 as Unalakleet Air Taxi by Wilfred Ryan Sr. as a charter airline. In the 1960s, the company began handling USPS mail delivery and transportation of schoolteachers for the Bureau of Indian Affairs between communities along the lower Yukon River. In 1977, Wilfred P. Ryan Jr. took over the company after his father died of cancer. [3] [4]

In 1979, [5] the company expanded service beyond the Norton Sound and changed their name to Ryan Air. With a new fleet of Beech 1900s and Beech 99s, Ryan Air grew to the largest commuter carrier in Alaska by 1987, serving 85 cities and villages with a fleet of 28 planes. [3] [4] However, a series of 12 accidents, culminating in a fatal crash of flight 103 on 23 November 1987 [6] that killed 18 of the 21 people on board, led the FAA to shut down the airline in January 1988. [7] [8]

In the 1990s, Ryan Air converted to a cargo-only airline and changed their name to Arctic Transportation Services (ATS), adding CASA 212 cargo planes to their fleet. They changed their name back to Ryan Air in 2010. [3] [4] [9]

In 2011, Ryan Air began passenger charters out of Anchorage, using a newly acquired Pilatus PC-12. [2]

In 2014, Ryan Air resumed regularly scheduled passenger services out of Aniak, AK using their Cessna 207 aircraft. [10]

In 2015 Ryan Air acquired a fifth CASA 212. [2]

In 2017 Ryan Air adds 2 SAAB 340s, based in Anchorage, to their fleet.

In 2019 Lee Ryan is appointed as President of Ryan Air, Inc.

In December 2022 Ryan Air was acquired by Saltchuk. [11]

In June 2024 Ryan Air acquired a fourth Cessna 208 EX.

Destinations

Ryan Air Services maintains the following scheduled passenger routes (as of January 2021): [12]

From/to Aniak

From/to Bethel

From/to Anchorage

Fleet

As of February 2017, the Ryan Air Services fleet consists of 20 aircraft, including: [3] [4]

Ryan Air Services Fleet
AircraftNumberPassengersNotes
CASA 212-200 6—Cargo
Cessna 207 115Passenger or freight operations
Cessna 208 EX49Passenger or freight operations
Pilatus PC-12 19
Saab 340 2 (as of August 2025) [13] —Cargo
Total23

Former fleet

Ryan air has operated the following types of aircraft in the past:

Ryan air past fleet
AircraftNumberIntroducedRetiredPassengersNotes
Beech 1900C unknownunknown198719Exact operation history not known, estimated started 1979
Beech 99 unknownunknownunknown15Exact operation history not known, estimated between 1979 and 1987
Cessna 18011953unknown3First aircraft in the fleet, retired from commercial service
Cessna 2082+unknownunknown9Exact operation history not known, estimated during 90's
Cessna 402C unknownunknownunknown6Exact operation history not known, estimated between 1990 and 2010
Shorts SC-7 unknownunknownunknownCargo onlyExact operation history not known, estimated between 2010 and 2019

Accident

On 23 November, 1987, Ryan Air Services Flight 103, a Beechcraft 1900C operating a domestic flight in Alaska from Kodiak Airport to Homer Airport, crashed near the runway at Homer Airport, while approaching it. 18 of the 21 people on board were killed. It was determined that the cause of the crash was an improper loading, which led to a loss of control during landing. [14] [15]

References

  1. ↑ "Federal Aviation Administration - Airline Certificate Information - Detail View". av-info.faa.gov. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 "Ryan Air | Alaska Bush Freight Carrier". ryanalaska.com. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Ryan Air — History" . Retrieved 6 April 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Event Celebrates Alaskans, Life in the Bush and a 'New' Ryan Air". Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
  5. ↑ "Ryan Ai". Airline History. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  6. ↑ https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR0401.pdf p. 91
  7. ↑ Witkin, Richard (31 December 1987). "F.A.A. Opens Inquiry on Alaska Commuter Airline - NYTimes.com". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
  8. ↑ "F.A.A. Shuts Down Alaska Commuter Airline - NYTimes.com". The New York Times. 31 January 1988. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
  9. ↑ "Nome becomes rural trash disposal hub" . Retrieved 6 April 2011.
  10. ↑ Angaiak, Samantha (14 May 2013). "Local Air Carrier To Begin Scheduled Passenger Service In Bush Alaska". KTUU. Archived from the original on 11 June 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  11. ↑ "Seventy years flying Alaska's freight". 25 April 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  12. ↑ "Passenger | Ryan Air" . Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  13. ↑ "Global Airline Guide 2025 - Ryan Air Alaska". Airliner World. September 2025. p. 83.
  14. ↑ "Accident Beechcraft 1900C N401RA, Monday 23 November 1987". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  15. ↑ "RYAN AIR SERVICE, INC., FLIGHT 103, BEECH AIRCRAFT CORPORATION 19OOC, N401RA, HOMER,ALASKA, NOVEMBER 23,1987" (PDF). NTSB. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
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