Kenai loses air traffic after virus arrives, RavnAir departs

KENAI, Alaska (AP) — An official says the coronavirus pandemic and the bankruptcy of an air carrier have combined to drastically reduce travel through a Southcentral Alaska airport. The Peninsula Clarion reported the Kenai Municipal Airport has had 18,000 fewer passengers through May than the previous year as a result of the coronavirus and the bankruptcy of RavnAir Group. RavnAir halted its operations April 5. Kenai airport Manager Mary Bondurant says there were 6,441 passengers traveling out of Kenai in April 2019 and only 359 in April this year. The airport had 7,198 passengers departures in May 2019 compared to 702 in May 2020.