Alaska to Switch to Jets from Turboprops at Pangborn Memorial Airport

Mar. 29—EAST WENATCHEE — People will see more jets flying in and out of Pangborn Memorial Airport by the end of next year.

Alaska Airlines on Thursday announced it will retire its Bombardier Q400 turboprops — the only plane it flies in and out of Pangborn — by the end of 2023. Alaska also announced it will retire all Airbus A320-family jets, besides the Q400 turboprops.

The changes won't affect airport operations, said Trent Moyers, director of airports for Chelan Douglas Regional Port Authority.

Instead of Q400s, Alaska will fly Embraer 175 jets in and out of Pangborn, he said. The airport can already accommodate the jets. In fact, the 7,000-by-150-foot runway can handle 737-sized jets, he said. But for now, Alaska will operate smaller planes on its two departures and two arrivals daily from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Many types of small jets, propeller planes and helicopters use the airport. It had 225 landings and 313 takeoffs in January. Ninety-one of those were Bombardier Dash 8-400s, which are the same as Q400s, Moyers said.

The E175s are designed for short to mid-range flights, according to Alaska's website. The E175 and Q400 can both carry 76 passengers, but the E175 has "wingtips that help improve fuel efficiency to reduce CO2 emissions by 6.4%," the website stated. Additionally, the Q400's maximum cruising altitude is 25,000 feet, while the E175's is 41,000 feet.

The Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air fleet includes more than 320 planes, including 32 Q400s, 35 Airbus A320s, and 10 Airbus A321neos, which are retiring, according to One Mile At A Time website. It also has 63 E175s.

This story has been updated to reflect the correct length of Pangborn Memorial Airport's runway.

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