March 30, 2009 (FinancialWire) -- Alaska Air Group's (NYSE: ALK) Alaska Airlines unit said it suspended flights in and out of Anchorage as of the evening of March 28 after Mount Redoubt erupted for the sixth time since March 22, generating ash clouds that the airline said, "pose a significant risk to air travel."

Since the volcanic eruptions began on March 22, Alaska Airlines has canceled more than 185 flights affecting an estimated 10,000 passengers.

Shortly after the airline suspended flights, Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport ceased all operations about 6 p.m. Alaska time because of volcanic ash falling in the area.

Mount Redoubt, which is also known as Redoubt Volcano, is an active stratovolcano in Aleutian Range of Alaska. Prior to the latest outbreak of activity, the volcano had erupted five times since 1900.

Alaska Airlines said will evaluate resuming service once authorities reopen Anchorage International Airport.

Ben Minicucci, Alaska Airlines' chief operating officer and executive vice president of operations, said, "We're continuing to closely monitor the weather and ash from Mount Redoubt and will resume flights when it is safe to do so."

Seattle-based Alaska Air Group operates Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, which together serve more than 90 cities through a network in Alaska, the Lower 48, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico.

FinancialWire" ( http://www.financialwire.net ), an independent, proprietary news service of Investrend Communications, Inc., receives no compensation for its news or opinions. Further disclosure is at http://www.investrend.com/articles/secondlevel.asp?level=472 . To contact FinancialWire" write to inquiries@financialwire.net .

Free annual reports for companies mentioned in the news are accessible via http://investrend.ar.wilink.com/?level=279 .

Copyright(C)2009 by financialwire.net, Inc. All rights reserved.

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.