| Airline: | Bering Air |
| Iata: | 8E |
| Icao: | BRG |
| Callsign: | BERING AIR |
| Aoc: | FXTA050A[1] |
| Hubs: | |
| Frequent Flyer: | Gold Points |
| Subsidiaries: | Twin Peak Adventures |
| Fleet Size: | 27 |
| Destinations: | 32 |
| Headquarters: | Nome, Alaska, U.S. |
| Key People: | James Rowe (President and CEO) |
| Num Employees: | 115 |
Bering Air is an American airline headquartered in Nome, Alaska, United States. It operates domestic scheduled passenger and charter airline services, as well as air ambulance and helicopter services. Its main base is Nome Airport, with hubs at Ralph Wien Memorial Airport (Kotzebue) and Unalakleet Airport.[2]
In early 1975, Jim Rowe and three college friends embarked on a journey from northern Michigan, and traveled across America in a Cessna 195, landing in Mexico's Baja California peninsula, and eventually settling on the beaches of Nome, Alaska. A few years later, in September 1979, Bering Air was established. It commenced operations on October 3, 1979, with a single De Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter. Later, in 1983, with instigation of the increasingly popular bypass mail system, the airline added other small aircraft, including the Piper Navajo, Beech 18, and Piper Seneca. Bering Air, in favor of modern, turbine powered aircraft, later phased out aircraft equipped with radial engines. Thus, the Beechcraft King Air 200, Beechcraft 1900D, Cessna Caravan, and CASA C-212 were introduced. Furthermore, off airport duties were transferred to helicopters, instead of older piston powered aircraft. In 2015, the airline upgraded its fleet with eight Cessna 208EX Grand Caravan aircraft replacing its older Cessna 208B aircraft.[3] Today, the airline is wholly owned by Jim Rowe (President) and Christine Rowe.
In July 2020 Bering Air bought at Ravn Alaska's bankruptcy auction the facilities in Aniak, Kotzebue, Nome and Unalakleet.[4]
As of November 2023, the Bering Air fleet consists of the following aircraft:[5]
| Aircraft | Total | Passengers | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | ||||
| Cessna Caravan EX | 18 | 9 | ||
| Cessna 408 SkyCourier | 2[6] | 0 | Cargo | |
| Beechcraft 1900D | 4 | 19 | "Combi" configuration on scheduled flights | |
| Beechcraft King Air 200 | 4 | 9 | Air ambulance configuration | |
| CASA 212-200 | 2 | 0 | Cargo | |
| MD Helicopter MD 500E | 3 | 3AS 350B32 | Long Line capableUH-1H Huey2 | |
| Robinson R44 Raven II | 3 | 3 | Also operates two R44s for Twin Peak Adventures.[7] |
Bering Air has previously operated the following aircraft:
Piper PA-31 Navajo|align=center|4Bering Air, along with Grant Aviation, Frontier Flying Service, Northern Air Cargo, PenAir, and Ryan Air Services, participates in the Flying Can service, which allows rural Alaskan communities to recycle aluminum cans and now number 1 PET bottles in cooperation with Alaskans for Litter Prevention and Recycling.[8]
Bering Air provides free delivery on scheduled flights for Airport Pizza, a pizzeria at Nome Airport that takes orders from remote locations served by Bering Air.[9]
Passenger and cargo charter services are flown from Kotzebue and Nome to destinations throughout the United States, and Russia.[2]
Bering Air offers scheduled passenger service to 29 cities in Western Alaska from hubs in Nome, Kotzebue and Unalakleet.[10] [11] [12] [13]
Bering Air offers charter service from Nome and Anchorage to Anadyr and Provideniya in the Russian Far East.[14]