Unalaska is the largest fishing port by volume in the United States, yet flying in and out of the island costs more than almost anywhere in the country.
After years of high fares, canceled flights and changing airlines, the federal government plans to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to help the city look at how to fix the island’s air service headache.
The city plans to study how affordable and reliable flights in and out of Unalaska are, and how to support better air service for the region as a whole. Unalaska’s Tom Madsen Airport is a hub for neighboring islands like Atka, Nikolski and Akutan.
In January, the Unalaska City Council directed the city manager to address the island’s unreliable air travel. Since then, city staff have been meeting with airlines, seafood companies and state and federal aviation officials.
At an Oct. 13 meeting, Council Member Shari Coleman said she’d like to see the city build on that work, and she hopes this new study will produce something the city can work from.
“I'm just going to be curious as we develop this and what exactly that entails,” Coleman said. “The community continues to still see air service as a big issue in livability for this community.”
Last year, Unalaska ranked third for highest average domestic airfares, behind only Guam and American Samoa. Sand Point, Adak, Atka and Cold Bay all ranked in the top 10.
According to Unalaska’s 2023 airport master plan, the state ruled out extending or relocating the airport’s runway. A longer runway would cost about $245 million, and the report says that’s far beyond what federal aviation officials consider feasible.
Unalaska Planning Director Cameron Dean wrote in an email to KUCB that the new study will look at things like runway length, airplane equipment and instrument landing procedures — and how all of those fit in with the planes that fly in and out of Unalaska today or could in the future.
Dean said the study will also measure the economic stakes, like how air service affects residents’ quality of life and the health of local businesses.
The money for the study – $415,000 in total – mostly comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Small Community Air Service Development Program. That grant is $375,000. The city, the Ounalashka Corporation, the Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska and Westward Seafoods each contributed more money to the fund.
Dean said the city plans to hire a consultant to do the work. He said the city has three years to complete the study, but he thinks it won’t take that long.
