Ascent Global Logistics announced this week it has acquired Alaska’s Hageland Aviation Services and will be launching a new service called Rambler Air.
Headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska, U.S.A., Rambler is expected to begin service in early 2021 with commuter flights as well as passenger and cargo charters. The new airline will have a fleet of eight Piper Chieftain Navajos and two Beechcraft 1900Ds that look to pick air traffic lost when RavnAir declared bankruptcy in April.
"Rambler Air will provide a much-needed service to Alaskan communities and businesses," Ascent Global Logistics President and CEO Tom Stenglein said. "We enter Alaska with more than four decades of running USA Jet, a 121- and 135-certified airline, in the lower 48 states. We look forward to bringing our track record of safety, operational excellence, and reliable service to Alaska.”
Rambler Air represents an expansion for Ascent, a Detroit, Michigan-based company that has done ground and air shipping for the automobile industry for over 30 years. In May, Ascent launched Arctic-On Demand, a marketplace bid model charter service that looked to access remote areas, especially seafood hubs.
"Alaska's economy relies on air services more than any state in the lower 48, making it perfect for Ascent's proprietary air charter bid-board technology, which powers Arctic On-Demand. Now supported by our launch of Rambler Air and our acquisition of Hageland Aviation, Ascent will have one of the most comprehensive and customer-focused air offerings in Alaska,” Ascent Executive Chairman Chris Jamroz said.
RavnAir’s April bankruptcy grounded 72 planes, which complicated the movement of goods and passengers ahead of Alaska’s summer fishing seasons. At the time, Alaska Air Cargo began flying passenger jets as cargo-only in an effort to help move seafood and essential supplies like medical equipment, amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic that continues to restructure the state’s airline industry.
"With the impact of COVID-19, potential capacity in Alaska air service is down 45 percent. Rambler Air will be a critical part of the solution in meeting future demand of the Alaskan market," Arctic On-Demand Managing Director Rebecca Clark said.
Rambler Director of Operations Luke Hickerson said the company plans to add 45 new professional aviation jobs and is in Alaska “for the long haul.”
Photo courtesy of Michael Rosebrock/Shutterstock
