Taquan Air, one of the Alaska flightseeing operators
involved in a midair crash that killed Princess Cruises passengers on excursion last
month, has resumed operations.
"Following a voluntary, independent operations audit
and working closely with the FAA, Taquan Air resumed scheduled service on May
31 and flightseeing tours Monday, June 3," Taquan representative Jennifer
Thompson said in an email.
On May 13, one of Taquan's planes collided in midair with
another flightseeing plane.
Both carried passengers on excursion from the Royal Princess cruise ship. The
crash left six dead, including one Princess Cruises passenger on the Taquan Air
plane.
Then on May 20, a pilot and a passenger on a Taquan Air
commuter flight from Ketchikan died when the plane's pontoon caught in the
water on landing and the plane cartwheeled and broke apart.
Taquan had temporarily shut down following the incidents,
leaving a gap in the availability of flightseeing trips in Ketchikan.