Alaska Seaplanes begins operations in Wrangell

Alaska Seaplanes landed on the idea of offering service to Wrangell about two years ago, and its inaugural flight touched down last Thursday.

"One of our anchor (clients) is SEARHC," said Andy Kline, marketing manager for Juneau-based Alaska Seaplanes. "They've been wanting to have more connectivity between Wrangell and Sitka, especially with the new (medical) facility here."

The airline will run an afternoon flight from Sitka to Wrangell and back, seven days a week.

Kline said the airline actually acquired its Wrangell office site just north of the Alaska Airlines terminal two years ago with the intent of offering service sooner "but COVID ... really shut everything down. Wrangell is a thriving community. We want to serve it. We've been wanting to for a long time," he said.

The airline's first flight to land in Wrangell was a Swiss-made Pilatus PC12, a nine-passenger single-engine plane that delivered company officials and Sen. Bert Stedman on a flight from Sitka.

"It's really nice to get east-west service. It's been really hard for years," Stedman said before a ribbon-cutting ceremony. "It's a new commercial service into Wrangell, one of my main towns, so I thought I'd be the first paying customer."

In addition to the nine-passenger capacity, the Pilatus can carry freight and, of course, pets, too.

Max Mertz, Alaska Seaplanes chief financial officer, said the plane is pressurized and has the ability to fly above adverse weather, which will provide more comfort for passengers, especially if they're patients heading to a SEARHC medical facility.

"There's not as much noise and it's just easier on you," Mertz said. "Even at 8,000 feet, it's easier on your body."

Alaska Seaplanes, headquartered in Juneau, provides service to 14 Southeast communities, going as far south as Klawock and as far north as Skagway.