Rob McKinney, chief executive of Alaskan regional airline Ravn Alaska and floundering start-up carrier New Pacific Airways, has left the group effective immediately.
A representative for McKinney said on 1 July that the split comes as he “does not share the forward vision of the ownership and chairman”.
“It has been an amazing journey to be part of the resurrection of Ravn from bankruptcy and to experience the rare opportunity of launching America’s latest Part 121 airline,” McKinney states.
“Our partnership with Boeing and collaborations with other remarkable companies and individuals around the world brought our vision to life. However, there comes a time in life when you just don’t see eye to eye.”
He was not immediately available to explain what exactly the disagreements were.
McKinney launched New Pacific Airways – at the time called Northern Pacific Airways – in 2023, initially aiming to connect Anchorage with key destinations in Asia and the lower 48 states. He looked to replicate across the Pacific Ocean what Reykjavik-headquartered Icelandair does over the Atlantic.
For years, the Icelandic carrier has used its island base about midway between North America and Europe to offer low-fare flights between the continents, with the option for stopovers.
That plan never got off the ground, however, but New Pacific did begin ferrying passengers between LA-area Ontario International airport – located about 58 miles (93km) northeast of the region’s primary airport, Los Angeles International – and Las Vegas on a small fleet of Boeing 757s in July 2023.
Later, it launched flights to Reno and Nashville from Ontario. The carrier ceased all three routes in the first quarter of this year and pivoted to charter operations.
”Rule number one is stay in business,” McKinney told FlightGlobal on 22 March. ”We’ve got to go where the business and where the money is, and right now we see [charters] as the lowest-hanging fruit, and our best efforts can be put in the charter market in the short run.”
New Pacific is wholly owned by Float Alaska, which acquired fellow regional carrier Ravn Alaska’s operations out of bankruptcy in 2021.
According to Cirium fleets data, New Pacific has three Boeing 757-200s in its fleet, two of which are noted as in service, with the final airframe in storage.
“It has been an honor to work with such a dedicated and talented team. Our shared achievements are a testament to their hard work and commitment,” McKinney adds. “While our paths diverge here, I remain immensely proud of what we have accomplished together and look forward to the future.”
On the New Pacific Airways website, McKinney is still listed as CEO. Two requests to the airline for further information went unanswered.
