In a bid to provide more same-day shipping connectivity to rural Alaskan communities, Northern Air Cargo (NAC) plans to launch a Seattle-to-Anchorage flights in October.
The Anchorage-based cargo carrier plans to fly from Seattle Tacoma International airport to Ted Stevens Anchorage International airport three times weekly starting on 5 October, using its lone Boeing 737-800.
NAC touts the route as providing ”dependable, same-day access to rural Alaska”, where distances are vast and many remote communities rely on air service for essentials such as groceries, health care products and building materials.
”Shipments originating in Seattle connect directly into NAC’s state-wide network,” the carrier says. “Communities like Nome and Kotzebue can receive freight in as little as 12h while others such as Utqiagvik and Bethel can be serviced in around 18h.”
The new Seattle-Anchorage route will also provide Alaskan companies shipping halibut, salmon and other seafood with ”timely Southbound access to Pacific Northwest markets”.
NAC says it uses a “proprietary cold chain preservation system” to deliver perishable goods.
Fleets data provided by aviation analytics company Cirium show that NAC operates seven in-service 737s, including 737-300 and -400 variants, and one widebody 767-300.
The longtime twinjet operator entered the jet age with 727 aircraft in the early 1990s and later operated 737-200s. It took delivery of its first 737-300 Freighter in 2010.
NAC also operated 1950s-era piston-engined Douglas DC-6s and Fairchild C-82 Packets, the latter of which were last manufactured in 1948.
The carrier last operated a DC-6 cargo flight in 2008.
