Rainier Air Charters

Name: Rainier Air Charters LLC
Owner: Rainier Aviation Group
Headquarters: Moses Lake, WA
Home Base: Grant County International Airport (KMWH), Moses Lake, WA
IATA Code: Y9
ICAO Code: YRC
Callsign: MOSES



Rainier Air Charters is a charter airline based out of Grant County International Airport (KMWH) in Moses Lake, WA owned by the holding company Rainier Aviation Group and established in early 2020. The airline specializes in both on-demand passenger and cargo charters with a variety of aircraft, ranging from Learjet 35A's to Boeing 747-400's. Rainier Air Charters has the aircraft for any job, anytime, and anywhere.

Beginnings:
Rainier Air Charters was always planned from the start by Rainier Aviation Group to supplement it's scheduled-service airline Rainier Air. Rainier Air Charter's launching was accelerated in early 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic devastated the airline industry, and after just one month of operation, its scheduled sister-airline Rainier Air shutdown operations in March of 2020 due to the lack of demand for air travel. Rainier Air at the time flew x2 MD-83's configured in an all-premium-economy EcoLux cabin for scheduled passenger service. Right after the airline shutdown, a 3rd MD-83 came out of refurbishment and D checks and was ready to fly, and x2 more were still in the refurbishment process. Because of the uncertain future, only x5 passenger MD-83's would be refurbished for passenger service. Because of Rainier Air's shutdown, Rainier Aviation Group looked to other markets less impacted by the pandemic for its fledging airline businesses to get by on, and turned to the cargo and charter business. While the x5 MD-83's sat in temporary storage at Moses Lake, it was decided the charter airline would launch using those x5 MD-83's, and offering them for charters with Rainier Air still owning those MD-83's. Eventually around mid-2020, the airline purchased a used Boeing 747-400ER and would use it for international passenger charter service, which would begin operations in early 2021. In late-2020, the airline would also expand operations into smaller charter aircraft such as Learjets 35A's, Cessna 441 Conquest II's, Beechcraft King Air's, Dassault Falcon 20's, and Cessna 208 Caravan's. In late-2020, the airline also acquired the world's only purpose-built combi Boeing 757-200M from Nepal Airlines, and is expected to start operations by the summer of 2021.

Service:
Rainier Air Charters flies on-demand short-notice cargo and passenger charters for a multitude of customers and missions such as governments & agencies, travel & cruise lines, manufacturing companies, militaries & airlifts, athletic teams, disaster response & relief, and parts & equipment transport. With the aircraft it owns, it also offers ACMI leases to other airlines, companies, and agencies.

Current Passenger Fleet:
[1] Boeing 747-400ER
[5] McDonnell Douglas MD-83*

Planned Passenger Fleet:
[3] Boeing 767-300ER
[2] Boeing 767-200ER
[2] Boeing 757-200ERWS
[3] McDonnell Douglas MD-83!

Current Combi Fleet:
[1] Boeing 757-200M
[2] Boeing 757-200C (planned; aftermarket conversions)

Planned Cargo Fleet:
[2] Boeing 747-400ERF
[2] Boeing 747-400ER/BCF
[2] Boeing 767-300ER/BCF
[4] Boeing 767-200ER/SF
[4] Boeing 757-200SF
[6] McDonnell Douglas MD-83SF
[x] Dassault Falcon 20 (cargo conversion)
[x] Learjet 35A (cargo conversion)

* = Aircraft is offered for charters by Rainier Air Charters but isn't owned by Rainier Air Charters; these aircraft do not participate in ACMI leases
! = Rainier Air Charters plans to outright purchase these aircraft and operate them exclusively for Rainier Air Charter flights and ACMI leases

Airline Info Will Be Updated Over Time