Business View Magazine | September 2020

165 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2020 KENA I MUNI C I PAL A I RPORT 02L. Credit card fuel pumps are available 24-hours a day for both wheeled and float aircraft in addition to aircraft maintenance and avionics sales and service offered by Peninsula Aero Technology. The Airport has an Air Traffic control tower, an Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) station, and a 24/7 Automated Flight Service Station. United Parcel Service, Federal Express, and Everts Air Fuel provide transit for nearly any size or variety of materials. Guardian Flight is on-field for medical responses and the State of Alaska Division of Forestry operates a retardant base on-field for wildland fires. The runway and apron can accommodate commercial aircraft up to 757s and is used as an alternate airport for many of the major carriers serving Alaska. The Airport is also used as an alternate for the F22s stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson facility in Anchorage. The Kenai Municipal Airport started out as a small military strip. In 1963, the airfield was part of a 2,000-acre transfer of land from the FAA to the City of Kenai. Since that time, its primary mission has been to be the commercial air transportation gateway to the Kenai Peninsula Borough and West Cook Inlet. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Airport had scheduled passenger jet service to Seattle and Anchorage via Wien Air Alaska, one of the oldest airlines in the U.S. and the first in the state. In 1984, Seattle service ended and Wien was only flying nonstop service to Anchorage with all flights operated with commuter turboprop aircraft. Today, Kenai is serviced by Grant Aviation, a Part 135 operator with flights to Anchorage. Up until recently, it was also serviced by Corvus Air, a Part 121 operator, owned by the RavnAir Group. The parent company declared bankruptcy this past April, a financial victim of the COVID-19 pandemic. It cancelled all of its Alaska operations at more than 100 Alaskan