Alaska Airlines to Change Planes That Serve Pangborn Airport

Alaska Airlines is replacing the plane it flies on its regional carrier, Horizon, which serves Pangborn Airport in the Wenatchee area.

The carrier is retiring its Bombardier Q400 prop aircraft at the end of next year, and moving to Embraer 175 regional jets.

Alaska currently operates 32 turboprop Q400 planes to and from regional destinations out of Seattle.

Horizon has been operating a fluctuating number of flight to Pangborn because of a pilot shortage, and it's not known how the change in aircraft will affect local passenger traffic.

The airport is currently in the process of a multi-mllion dollar project to widen its taxiways.

In an announcement Thursday, Alaska said it would shift long-distance flights from the Airbus A320 to the Boeing 737 MAX on the same timeframe by the end of 2023.