Bob Baker Memorial Airport — Kiana, United States

IAN identifies Bob Baker Memorial Airport, serving Kiana, a small Iñupiat village in Alaska's remote Northwest Arctic Borough along the Kobuk River. Like many Alaskan bush communities, Kiana has no road connections to the outside world, making IAN an essential lifeline for mail, cargo, medical evacuations, and passenger travel to and from larger hubs like Kotzebue. The airport is named in honor of a local figure important to the community's aviation history. Air service at IAN typically relies on small bush planes capable of operating on the gravel or short airstrips common throughout rural Alaska. Given the extreme isolation and harsh winter conditions of the region, reliable air access through IAN is critical to the daily functioning and survival of the village.