Clearwater Air

What Clearwater Air does

Clearwater Air, Inc. is a privately held, FAA Part 135 certificated air carrier headquartered at Merrill Field in Anchorage, Alaska, founded in 2010. The company operates a fleet of twin-turboprop Aero Commander 690 aircraft equipped with dual WAAS global navigation systems, pressurization, and IFR capability, providing on-demand passenger, mail, and freight transport alongside specialized aerial services in US, Canadian, and Arctic Oceanic airspace.

Its specialized services center on aerial research support and airborne data acquisition: custom-engineered mounting systems accommodate virtually any camera or sensor package (flat or bubble observation windows, belly camera ports, oblique-photography side windows, flexible seating/cargo configurations), and missions are jointly planned with biologists, geologists, and scientists to align equipment, methodology, logistics, and timing. Service lines include aerial reconnaissance, remote sensing, population and abundance surveys (marine mammals such as beluga, bowhead, walrus, sea otter, harbor seal), aerial fire support and mapping for the Alaska Division of Forestry, spill response with marine mammal mitigation, and research planning and collaboration.

The business model is project-based professional services sold directly to federal and state research agencies (USGS, NOAA, USFWS, BOEM, BSEE, USDOI, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Joint Secretariat of Canada), the University of Alaska, and enterprise clients including Shell Oil and HDR, Inc. Pricing is custom and quote-based per project and not publicly disclosed. Growth and retention depend on a Safety Management System that the firm developed and that Mitre Corporation published as a model system, on pilots averaging over 10,000 flight hours, and on a track record of more than ten years of completed federal research contracts.

Name

Clearwater Air

Legal name

Clearwater Air, Inc.

Website

https://clearwaterair.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Clearwater Air is an Anchorage-based FAA Part 135 air carrier operating Turbine Aero Commander 690 aircraft to provide aerial research support, remote sensing, airborne data acquisition, fire support, and spill response for federal and state scientific agencies, universities, and energy-sector clients across Alaska and Arctic regions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Anchorage

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Specialized Air Services: Project-based professional services providing aerial reconnaissance, aerial research support, remote sensing, airborne data acquisition, aerial fire support, spill response, and research planning. Services are customized to each client and specific project objectives.
2. Part 135 Air Carrier Services: On-demand and scheduled passenger, mail, and freight transportation services under FAA Part 135 certification.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

Clearwater Air is an FAA Part 135 Air Carrier providing specialized aerial services including aerial reconnaissance, aerial research support, remote sensing, and airborne data acquisition. It operates a fleet of Turbine Aero Commander 690 aircraft, primarily serving government agencies, scientific research institutions, and energy sector clients in Alaska and Arctic regions. Services are customized project-by-project in close collaboration with biologists, geologists, cartographers, and scientists to match equipment, methodologies, logistics, and timing to specific mission objectives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Aerial Reconnaissance Aerial reconnaissance services for research, surveillance, and monitoring operations across various environments. Provided to government, research, and energy sector clients.
• Aerial Research Support Collaborative flight services supporting scientific research projects, working with biologists, geologists, cartographers, and other scientists to ensure data collection objectives are met. Targeted at government agencies and research institutions.
• Remote Sensing Remote sensing data collection services using specialized aerial platforms (Turbine Aero Commander 690 aircraft) to gather environmental and geographic information for research and government clients.
• Airborne Data Acquisition Specialized aerial data collection services including aerial surveys, photography, and sensor data gathering for research and monitoring purposes. Provided to government and scientific clients across Alaska and Arctic regions.
• Aerial Fire Support and Mapping Emergency response, wildfire mapping, and fire suppression support operations delivered via the Clearwater Air Turbine Aero Commander 690 fleet. Provided primarily to the Alaska Division of Forestry.
• Spill Response Emergency response services for environmental incidents including marine mammal mitigation and spill response operations. Targeted at government and energy sector clients.
• Part 135 Passenger, Mail, and Freight Transportation On-demand and scheduled passenger, mail, and freight transportation services operated under FAA Part 135 Air Carrier certification (#LAMA991F), approved for operations in the US, Canada, and Arctic Oceanic airspace.

Quantifiable outcome

• Maximum endurance of 6.5 hours and 1,500 miles range enables broad-scale aerial surveys over large geographic areas
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Mitre CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClearwater Air allowed Mitre Corporation to post their internally developed Safety Management System (SMS) on Mitre's website as a model of a fit-for-purpose system. Mitre Corporation is the benchmark organization for SMS development in the US.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Wright Air Service: Alaska-based Part 135 air carrier offering charter, passenger, and freight services across remote communities. Comparable as a small Alaska Part 135 operator serving government and resource-sector clients in the same operating geography.
• Kenai Aviation: Alaska flight services operator offering charters, scheduled service, and specialty aerial work. Comparable as a small Alaska Part 135 operator with overlap in charter and remote-area mission profiles.
• Epic Helicopters: Alaska helicopter operator offering charter, aerial survey, firefighting, and utility work. Comparable as a small Alaska-based Part 135-style aerial services provider with similar government and resource-sector customer mix.
• Ravn Alaska: Alaska regional Part 135 carrier providing scheduled, charter, and freight services throughout the state. Comparable as an Alaska-based Part 135 carrier with overlapping government, energy, and remote-community customers.
• Bristow Group: Major helicopter operator with significant Alaska and offshore energy exposure, providing crew transport, search and rescue, and aerial surveillance to oil & gas and government clients. Comparable in mission profile (remote-area Part 135-style operations supporting oil & gas and government) and geography.
• Grant Aviation: Alaska-based Part 135 carrier serving rural communities with passenger, mail, and freight services. Comparable in scale, certification, and customer base within the Alaska operating geography.
• Bering Air: Regional Part 135 carrier serving western Alaska with passenger, charter, and freight operations. Comparable in certification, geography, and dependence on government and resource-sector customers.
• Aerial Services Inc: Aerial mapping and remote-sensing firm operating dedicated survey aircraft for government, engineering, and environmental clients. Directly comparable to Clearwater Air as a specialized manned-aerial data acquisition provider serving geospatial and environmental end markets.

Broad incumbents

• Woolpert: Large geospatial and aerial survey firm (formed via acquisition of AeroMetric) offering manned and unmanned aerial mapping, lidar, and remote sensing at national scale. Comparable in service line (aerial data acquisition and remote sensing) though much larger and more diversified.

Others

• NOAA Aircraft Operations Center: Government-operated fleet conducting marine mammal and atmospheric aerial surveys. Comparable as the in-house counterpart that competes for or contracts aerial marine-mammal survey work in the same regions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/clearwaterair

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Clearwater Air