Partners Polar Express Group LLC and Sky King Inc. applied July 24 to the U.S. Department of Transportation using an emergency order seeking permission to start North Slope service as backup for Shared Services, which is a joint air service run by the oil companies of ConocoPhillips and BP to move workers to and from the Slope.

Polar Express is a new charter air service jointly owned by the Nuiqsut village’s Kuukpik Corp., and JLE LLC, listed as an Alaska aviation research and development company. Officials hope to offer service to the North Slope oil fields starting Aug. 1.

Sky King Inc. owns the aircraft and possesses the airline certificate that is required to operate aircraft with 10 or more passengers.

Sky King and Polar Express are using the emergency order to obtain the right to offer service because a Shared Services jet was unexpectedly taken out of service for major maintenance work.

DOT must respond to the emergency application within 7 days.

The application included support letters from Alaska’s Rep. Don Young and Sen. Lisa Murkowski.

Polar Express will use Boeing 737s, which have more than 100 seats, for its flights under an arrangement that allows Polar Express to use its pilots and flight attendants, while the certificate, maintenance and aircraft will be provided by Sky King.

The emergency application triggered responses from Alaska Airlines and Peninsula Airways Inc., both of which oppose the proposed service, according to DOT documents.

Alaska Airlines offers three daily flights with Boeing 737-400 combi jet aircraft to the North Slope, and Peninsula Airways started weekly flights from Fairbanks to the North Slope last winter to support oil field construction activities.

“We opposed the emergency order because their application stated that there was a lack of available seats in the market place when we believe that there is no lack of seats,” said Danny Seybert of Pen Air. “We operated eight Saab 340s and we have more than enough capacity for Shared Services needs.”

Representatives from Kuukpik Corp. and Alaska Airlines could not be reached for comment.

Alaska-based Polar Express is run by Andy Baker, John Lane and Todd Wallace, all with a list of experience in the aviation industry.

Wallace said he would not comment about the application until after the application’s approval.

Wallace put together a deal between Northern Air Cargo and the Kuukpik Corp. in 2000 to offer express cargo service by NAC to the North Slope. Wallace has also worked for Alaska Airlines and Alaska Central Express.