Wien Air Alaska History: Alaska's First Airline – Airline Employee Shop

Wien Air Alaska History

Wien Air Alaska grew from one bush pilot's daring flights in the 1920s into Alaska's pioneering airline, landing jets on gravel runways until it shut down in 1984. Here's a short history of Wien, plus the Wien Air Alaska collection that celebrates it.

Noel Wien and the bush years (1924–1940)

In July 1924 Noel Wien flew an open-cockpit biplane from Anchorage to Fairbanks, the first flight between the two towns. The trip took under four hours, compared with two days by train. Later that year he made the first flight over the Arctic Circle. Wien began operating from Nome in 1927, and Wien Alaska Airways was incorporated in 1928. The business changed hands and names over the next decade, and in 1940 Noel sold his shares to his brother Sig Wien.

Growing across Alaska (1940–1967)

In the decades that followed, Wien became known for serving the gravel and dirt runways common across Alaska, especially north of the Arctic Circle. Douglas DC-3s and later Fairchild F-27 turboprops did much of the flying.

Wien Consolidated and the gravel jets (1968–1978)

On April 1, 1968, Wien merged with Northern Consolidated Airlines to become Wien Consolidated Airlines. That year Wien began flying the Boeing 737-200 Combi, which could carry passengers and cargo together, and on December 6, 1968, it received the first Boeing-certified 737 with a gravel kit for unpaved runways. On August 1, 1973, the company was renamed Wien Air Alaska.

The final years (1979–1985)

Household Finance became the controlling owner in 1979, and Wien flew Boeing 727s as well as 737s in the early 1980s. In 1983 investor Jim Flood bought the airline. Wien stopped flying on November 23, 1984, and the company was finally wound up in 1985. It had been the first airline in Alaska.

A few things collectors love

  • Noel Wien's pilot license was No. 39, signed by Orville Wright as an official of the FAI.
  • In March 1929 Noel Wien flew from Nome across the Bering Strait to Siberia and back to collect furs from an icebound ship.
  • Wien helped prove that jets could serve gravel runways, using 737s fitted with special gravel kits.

Shop Wien Air Alaska

Browse Wien Air Alaska logo T-shirts, coffee mugs, coasters, tote bags and vintage designs in the Wien Air Alaska collection. Add an airline bag tag or key tag for the Alaska flyer in your life.

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