| |||||||
Founded | 1977 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AOC # | TQ0A509J [1] | ||||||
Operating bases | Ketchikan Harbor Seaplane Base | ||||||
Hubs | Ketchikan | ||||||
Fleet size | 15 [2] | ||||||
Destinations | 16 | ||||||
Parent company | Venture Travel, LLC | ||||||
Headquarters | Ketchikan, Alaska, United States | ||||||
Key people | Brien Salazar, CEO | ||||||
Website | www.TaquanAir.com |
Taquan Air is the operating name for Venture Travel, LLC, an American regional airline headquartered in Ketchikan, a city in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Alaska. [3] It operates domestic scheduled passenger and charter services. Its base is Ketchikan Harbor Seaplane Base, which shares the same harbor and airspace as Ketchikan International Airport. As per the United States Department of Transportation in a report dated August 2, 2010, Taquan Air is a "U.S. Certificated Air Carrier", and is 1 of 125 such carriers in the US. [4]
Taquan Air's heyday was in 1997 when they were the largest floatplane company in the world and the second largest air commuter service in Alaska, carrying 243,000 passengers that year. In a continuing effort to grow, they sought FAR part 121 certification, allowing them to carry more than nine passengers on a flight. They achieved certification and began flights in 1998, but the costs of the new venture and economic factors led to the sale of assets and layoffs in 1999. New ownership in 2000 kept the company name alive, and Taquan remains known for their floatplanes.
Taquan Air's flight schedule provides for the delivery of US Mail, and includes service to the fourth-largest island in the US, Prince of Wales Island; and the easternmost town in Alaska, Hyder. An accident in 2007 associated with a raincloud has led to the installation of weather cameras throughout Alaska. Taquan Air, along with other Ketchikan flight services, [5] [6] provides "flightseeing" tours over pristine Misty Fjords National Monument, and bear viewings within the Earth's largest remaining temperate rainforest, Tongass National Forest.
The name "Taquan" is from the Tlingit language for "village by the sea", and is also associated with the alternate name for Annette Island, Taak'w Aan. [7]
The airline was established as Taquan Air Service Incorporated in August 1977, and started out flying an air taxi service between Ketchikan International Airport and Metlakatla on Annette Island. [8] By 1989 the company was flying seven airplanes with 45 employees, [8] and by 1997 28 planes with 175 employees.
1997 was the year that Kootznoowoo Inc., an Alaska Native Village Corporation for Angoon, [9] became 50% owner, [10] and the same year that the company appeared on the cover of Alaska Business Monthly. [11] At that point they were flying to 30 destinations, they had hubs in both Ketchikan and Sitka, and by flying to British Columbia, they had become an international air carrier. Taquan was now the largest floatplane company in the world, [12] and the second largest commuter airline in Alaska, having boarded 243,000 people in 1997.
This was when Taquan decided to expand from FAR 135 air taxi operation to FAR 121 airline operation. [12] [13] After spending a year to become FAR 121 certified, and buying a couple of British Aerospace Jetstream 32's, the new service was branded as AirOne. The mayor of Juneau helped launch the new venture in March by dedicating one of the planes as The Spirit of Juneau. [14] AirOne commenced operation on June 1, 1998, [15] [16] and began non-stop service from Ketchikan to Juneau. Another route connected Canadian Airlines' hub at Prince Rupert Airport in British Columbia with Alaska Airlines' flights at Ketchikan.
But Taquan Air experienced its first fatal crash with a passenger in August 1998. [17] A new CEO was chosen for Kootznoowoo in July, who had to deal with a "precipitous decline" ( Juneau Empire ) [18] in the company's outlook. The new CEO foreshadowed future events with the announcement at the shareholders meeting in October 1998, "there is less capital available for new investments." [19] The costs of FAR 121 certification and a slump in the lumber industry [20] [21] led to the AirOne operation ceasing on February 14, 1999. [22] Taquan Air liquidated assets and closed their Sitka hub. [23]
Kootznoowoo Inc., acquired full ownership of the company on November 1, 1999, [24] [25] and at the end of December 1999 laid off most or 80 of their workers [26] [27] along with stopping flights to 20 communities. [28] The downsizing at Taquan Air dampened the regional economy. [26] [29] [30] The Juneau Empire wrote about the economic effect on Prince of Wales Island (pop. 6000 [28] ), which is the fourth-largest island in the US,
The loss of Taquan flights comes at a bad time for Prince of Wales Island, said Tom Briggs, city administrator for Craig. State ferry service for the island was recently reduced to one day a week to save money. "Without a reasonable transportation base, the island's going to be damaged, the economy's going to be damaged and lifestyle's going to be damaged," Briggs said...Blood samples taken at the clinic must be thrown out if they can't get to the lab in Ketchikan on time...The Craig City Council is asking the governor for assistance in the form of increased ferry service. [28]
Flights continued only for government contracts while the ownership looked for a buyer, which occurred in April 2000 (see below). [28] By 2001, Kootznoowoo had divested all of its operating companies, including both the aviation and the timber businesses, and had become a holding company. [31]
The general manager for Taquan between 1997 and 2000 had come on board when Taquan acquired the assets of his family's business, Ketchikan Air. [32] [33] He now created a company Venture Travel, LLC. Venture Travel, LLC acquired assets from Taquan in April 2000, including five planes, the name, and the lease in Ketchikan. [27] Taquan Air gained business with U.S. Postal Service contracts for mail routes serving Hyder, Hydaburg, and Behm Canal. [27] Scheduled passenger flights resumed in 2001, also, the airline was awarded the U.S. Forest Service Air Service Contract in both 2000 [27] and 2003 [34] and continues to hold a U.S. Forest Service contract. [35] [36] In October 2007, Taquan moved into a new terminal and hangar building, [7] close to the east terminus of the ferry [37] to the Ketchikan International Airport. The company is now flying to 16 destinations.
Taquan Air first moved into the spotlight in 1990, when the company's growth and development led to the owner's selection as Alaska Small Business Person of the Year, a selection made by the Alaska office of the U.S. Small Business Administration. In May 1990, the owner was honored in Washington, D.C. at the White House. [38] [39]
Taquan Air participated in a voluntary industry effort in Alaska to improve airline safety called the Medallion Foundation awards. Senator Ted Stevens (R, Alaska) was a decorated World War II pilot who later became floatplane qualified, and who was instrumental in establishing and providing congressional support for the Medallion Foundation. [40] By 2009, Taquan was one of seven airlines out of 37 operating in Alaska to receive all five stars in the program. Senator Stevens presented awards to Taquan in 2005 and 2008. [41] [42]
On July 24, 2007, a Taquan Air tour flight, operating a float-equipped de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver and carrying the pilot and four passengers from a cruise ship, impacted mountainous terrain with no survivors. [43] [44] An estimate is that in 2007, 900,000 cruise-ship tourists visited Ketchikan. [45] At the time of this accident, Taquan had commitments regarding sightseeing with each of the cruise lines serving Ketchikan. [46] According to the AP, the cruise line that had booked the tourists severed ties with Taquan after the accident for the remainder of 2007. [47] [48]
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigated the accident and issued a report on July 31, 2008, finding that the primary cause of the crash was pilot misjudgment, but that inadequate supervision of the flight tour industry in southeast Alaska by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also contributed to the event. [49] The Board issued four recommendations. The first of these four recommendations, A-08-59, was to install weather cameras on the air tour routes within the Misty Fjords National Monument. Recommendation A-08-60 was to establish monthly ground and en route inspections of air tour flights to observe and enforce safe flying practices. Recommendation A-08-61 was to develop cue-based training for commercial air tour pilots in responding to changing local weather conditions. A-08-62 first needed the completion of A-08-61, and recommended that pilots be required to take the training. [45]
Initial plans were to install 139 weather cameras in Alaska by 2014. [49]
Taquan Air is one of several local services to provide air tours of the nearby Misty Fjords National Monument. These flights are associated with the cruise line industry that brings close to a million tourists each Summer to Ketchikan with its 7,000 residents. [50] Adventure guide Inside Passage and Coastal Alaska states, "One of the amazing things about floatplanes is just how smooth <takeoffs> are...unless you're looking out the window and see that there isn't a wake from the floats anymore, it's hard to know you're even in the air." The air tour typically takes two to four hours. The tour goes from seashore up into the mountains and back, during which time the floatplane lands on water in a remote area, and tourists step out on the plane's pontoon. [51]
In May 2019, two Taquan flights were involved in fatality accidents one week apart. After the second crash on May 20, the NTSB initiated a separate overall investigation of Taquan Air in addition to the accident investigations; the airline declined to comment. [52] Taquan Air suspended all flights on May 21. [53] [54]
Amid increased oversight by the FAA, Taquan resumed limited cargo service on May 23, [55] scheduled passenger flights on May 31, and on-demand sightseeing tours on June 3, 2019. [56]
The Taquan Air fleet consists of one Cessna Caravan, eleven de Havilland DHC-2 Beavers, and three de Havilland DHC-3T Turbo Otters [60] [61] certified under FAR part 135 (Air Taxi Operators and Commercial Operators of Small Aircraft).
Taquan Air operates scheduled service to the following destinations in Alaska (as of February 2011 [update] ): [62] [63]
Other destinations in Alaska (not on schedule as of June 2009): [35] [63]
Fairbanks International Airport is a state-owned public-use airport located three miles (5 km) southwest of the central business district of Fairbanks, a city in the Fairbanks North Star Borough of the United States state of Alaska. It is located in the South Van Horn census-designated place. Fairbanks was the smallest city in the United States with regularly scheduled non-stop international flights, as Condor offered weekly flights to Frankfurt during the summer tourist season. Air North is now the only international airline to offer scheduled charters with flights.
Santa Barbara Municipal Airport is 7 miles west of downtown Santa Barbara, California, United States. The airfield covers 948 acres (384 ha) of land and has three runways.
The de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter is a single-engined, high-wing, propeller-driven, short take-off and landing (STOL) aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada. It was conceived to be capable of performing the same roles as the earlier and highly successful Beaver, including as a bush plane, but is overall a larger aircraft.
Harbour Air Seaplanes is a scheduled floatplane service, tour and charter airline based in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. The predominantly seaplane airline specializes in routes between Vancouver, Nanaimo, Victoria, Sechelt, Comox, Whistler and the Gulf Islands, primarily with de Havilland Canada floatplanes. Harbour Air operates de Havilland Beavers, Otters and Twin Otters.
Kenmore Air Harbor, Inc., doing business as Kenmore Air, is an American airline with its headquarters on the grounds of Kenmore Air Harbor in Kenmore, Washington, United States, north of Seattle. It operates scheduled and charter seaplane and landplane service to destinations throughout western Washington and southwestern British Columbia, as well as seaplane "flightseeing" flights around Seattle. In addition to its corporate headquarters, seaplane maintenance facility and terminal in Kenmore, the airline has hub operations in Seattle for seaplanes at Lake Union Seaplane Base and for land-based airplanes at Boeing Field. It also operates a maintenance facility for its airplane fleet at Boeing Field.
Juneau International Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport and seaplane base located seven nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Juneau, a city and borough in the U.S. state of Alaska which has no direct road access to the outside world. The airport is a regional hub for all air travel, from bush carriers to major U.S. air carriers such as Alaska Airlines.
Ketchikan International Airport is a state-owned, public-use airport located one nautical mile (2 km) west of the central business district of Ketchikan, a city in Ketchikan Gateway Borough in Alaska, that has no direct road access to the outside world or to the airport. The airport is located on Gravina Island, just west of Ketchikan on the other side of the Tongass Narrows. Passengers must take a seven-minute ferry ride across the water to get to the airport from the town.
New Pacific Airlines, Inc., d.b.a. Ravn Alaska, is an Alaskan airline that specializes in serving small communities in the US state of Alaska. The airline is headquartered in Anchorage, which is also home to its primary hub, Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.
Annette Island Airport is located on Annette Island in the Prince of Wales – Hyder Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is located 5 nautical miles (9 km) south of Metlakatla, Alaska. The airport was established as the Annette Island Army Airfield during World War II and initially served as a military airbase.
Air Saguenay was a regional airline based in Jonquière, Quebec, Canada.
Excursion Inlet Seaplane Base is a state owned, public use seaplane base located in Excursion Inlet, in the Haines Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska. Scheduled passenger service is subsidized by the U.S. Department of Transportation via the Essential Air Service program.
Hydaburg Seaplane Base is a state owned, public use seaplane base located in Hydaburg, a city in the Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a general aviation facility.
Ketchikan Harbor Seaplane Base is a privately owned, public use seaplane base located at the harbor of Ketchikan, a city in the Ketchikan Gateway Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is located near the Ketchikan International Airport, which also has its own seaplane landing area. Prior to the opening of the Ketchikan International Airport in 1973, scheduled passenger seaplane service was operated with amphibian aircraft between the seaplane base and the Annette Island Airport located approximately 20 miles south, as this land plane airfield previously served as the primary airport for Ketchikan, with scheduled airline flights being operated by Pan American World Airways, Pacific Northern Airlines and Western Airlines into Annette Island over the years.
Kake Seaplane Base is a public-use seaplane base located in Kake, a city in the Petersburg Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska. Scheduled airline passenger service is subsidized by the U.S. Department of Transportation via the Essential Air Service program.
Alaska Coastal Airlines was an airline in the United States. It was formed in 1939 as a result of the merger of Alaska Air Transport and Marine Airways. On April 1, 1962, Alaska Coastal Airlines merged with Ellis Air Lines, trading for a while as Alaska Coastal-Ellis Airlines. Alaska Coastal Airlines was taken over by Alaska Airlines in April 1968.
Metlakatla Seaplane Base is a state owned, public use seaplane base located in Metlakatla, a community on Annette Island in the Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska.
Klawock Airport is a state-owned public-use airport located two nautical miles (3.7 km) northeast of the central business district of Klawock, a city in the Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska.
Hollis Clark Bay Seaplane Base is a state owned, public use seaplane base located one nautical mile (2 km) northeast of the central business district of Hollis, a community in the Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. It was formerly known as Hollis Seaplane Base.
Taquan Air Flight 20 was a regularly scheduled commuter flight operated by Taquan Air from Ketchikan Harbor Seaplane Base to Metlakatla Seaplane Base. On May 20, 2019, the pilot lost control of the de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver floatplane while landing in the harbor at Metlakatla, Alaska, United States. The airplane overturned, destroying the aircraft and killing both persons aboard. The accident was attributed to challenging wind conditions that proved too difficult for the relatively inexperienced pilot to handle.
On May 13, 2019, a de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver floatplane operated by Mountain Air Service collided with a Taquan Air de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Turbine Otter floatplane over George Inlet, Alaska, United States. The DHC-2 broke up in mid-air with the loss of all four passengers and the pilot. The DHC-3 pilot was able to maintain partial control, but the aircraft sustained substantial damage in the collision and the subsequent forced landing; the pilot suffered minor injuries, nine passengers suffered serious injuries, and one passenger was killed. Both aircraft were conducting sightseeing flights under visual flight rules, which state that the pilot of each aircraft is responsible for visually ensuring adequate separation from other air traffic, commonly known as "see and avoid".
Taquan, meaning "village by the sea" in the Alaska Native Tsimshian language
By 1989, Taquan Air was the second largest air taxi service in Alaska, with seven aircraft, 45 employees, and $2.1 million in sales.
<Kootznoowoo, Inc> is the ANCSA Corporation for the village of Angoon, a Tlingit community of great antiquity.
...second only to Anchorage's Era Aviation in terms of passenger count for small, scheduled air-carriers...
September 1997 COVER: 1997 NATIVE CORP REVIEW - Matthew Nikolai, Calista Corp., Will May, Tanana Chiefs, Jerry Scudero, Taquan Air pictured on the cover
Altogether, Taquan Air is considered the world's largest floatplane operator.
The Spirit of Juneau, one of the airplanes to be used in the new regional airline, AirOne, was to be dedicated today by Juneau Mayor Dennis Egan at a special ceremony at Juneau Airport.
AirOne will begin service May 1 between Ketchikan and several cities including Juneau, Wrangell, Petersburg, Sitka and Klawock on Prince of Wales Island.
A new regional air carrier began service Monday...
The company said it was the first fatal accident involving a passenger in 21 years.
Declining timber sales, from a depressed market and depleted timber on Kootznoowoo's lands, have caused a precipitous decline in the corporation's fortunes.
Smith told shareholders the current downturn in the timber market comes at a particularly bad time for Kootznoowoo. It means there is less capital available for new investments..."We have already distributed most of our wealth from timber," Smith said...The recent decline in the fish market has left Angoon's economy in tatters...
...the timber market is poor right now...Jack Phelps, executive director of the Alaska Forest Association...transportation companies..have...been hurt by the village corporations' downturn...The effect is very widespread," Phelps said.
Ketchikan economist Kent Miller said jobs in the wood products industry have dropped from 903 in 1996 to 139 in 2004.
'...traffic has gone well below the traffic we projected for the fall and winter season,' Laurance said...Profits were solid when service began last June...
Taquan Air Service is shutting down its Sitka operations at the end of this month.
The board of directors of Kootznoowoo Inc. decided to buy the second half of Taquan Air Service, a company the corporation half owned since 1997.
...in late 1999...Kootznoowoo purchased controlling interest in Taquan Air.
Other carriers will try to fill the gap in flight services, but these small carriers probably will not replace all 80 jobs cut by Taquan.
{{cite journal}}
: |author=
has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Alaska Cruises: The Ketchikan-based tour company experienced difficulties in 2000 after a good 1999 season because of Taquan Air's bankruptcy.
...lodge owners and cruise lines are looking for other ways to transport their clients after the virtual shutdown of Ketchikan's largest local air carrier.
<In 2000> the corporation...put...$1.3 million in escrow to finalize the liquidation of Taquan Air...
Salazar grew up in his family's aviation business, Ketchikan Air, which operated for more than three decades.
<Michael Salazar, father of Brien Salazar was> president of Ketchikan Air Service Inc. from 1969-1997...
{{cite web}}
: External link in |publisher=
(help)Frank Cox, SBA's Alaska director, says Taquan air's founder was selected on the basis of his company's growth and development.
I was flown along with other SBA state and territorial award winners to Washington D.C. to be honored in SBA functions and a visit with President Bush.
{{cite book}}
: |author=
has generic name (help)<Sen Stevens> was the one that convinced congress to provide funding for our Medallion Foundation
Sen. Ted Stevens presented Medallion Foundation Awards to several Alaska air carriers...
{{cite web}}
: External link in |publisher=
(help)Senator Stevens (left) and FAA Acting Administrator Bobby Sturgell (right) present the Medallion Shield to Taquan Air president and CEO Brien Salazar. Photograph courtesy Alaska Air Carriers Association.
Taquan Air is recognized as one of the most successful floatplane operations in Alaska.
The cruise-ship company has cut off Taquan Air tours at this time, Princess spokeswoman Julie Benson said in a prepared statement.
Misty Fjords Flightseeing, run by Taquan Air...has been running trips into Misty forever.
Everyone gets a window seat aboard the floatplanes that run these flightseeing jaunts over mysterious, primordial Misty Fjords National Monument...
Johnson said two investigations were launched: One into the fatal crash itself, and another into Taquan Air. The investigations launched Monday, he said, will remain - on the NTSB's end - completely separate from any investigations into the fatal Ketchikan-area crash that happened a week ago.