April 24, 2025 Seward Folly Staff

Seward will have air service between Seward and Anchorage beginning May 1.

Kenai Aviation was selected for a two-year term to provide six trips per week from May 1 to September 30. There will be three weekly round trips from October 1 through April 30. The flights are $189 each way, take 45 minutes, and are scheduled to depart Seward at 10:15 a.m. and 7:15 p.m. 

Kenai Aviation will be using their new Tecnam Traveller nine-passenger, twin-engine plane. 

Seward has not received regular air service since 2002, when FS Air cancelled service due to insufficient passenger traffic. In 2024, Seward City Manager Kat Sorensen requested air service be restored as part of the essential air service program. Kenai Aviation won the bid based on their novel approach plans.

Kenai Aviation worked with Flight Tech Engineering for a special approach into Seward on low visibility days. Special approaches use modern GPS technology throughout airports and strips in Alaska, including Red Dog Mine. The old minimums for bad weather instrument approaches into Seward were a visibility of three miles and a 2600-foot ceiling. Sightseeing flights in Seward do not use instrument approaches and takeoffs, which limits their operations to  a 1000-foot ceiling and three miles of visibility.  This new approach allows a landing and takeoff with one-mile visibility and  a 500-feet ceiling – a significant improvement that allows for regular air service into Seward. 

Keep a lookout for the blue and white twin-engine Tecnam in May. Seward residents share Kenai Aviation’s excitement to have this option for quick access to Anchorage.

Follow the link to book a flight: https://apps6.tflite.com/Public/KEN/Booking/Search