Bergen Air Transport

Last updated
Bergen Air Transport
Bergen Air Transport logo.svg
IATA ICAO Callsign
—BGTBERGEN AIR
Founded1998
Ceased operations2017
Hubs Bergen Airport, Flesland
Fleet size0
Destinations0
Headquarters Bergen, Norway
Key peopleGeir Hellsten (CEO)
Website www.bergenair.no

Bergen Air Transport AS was an airline based at Bergen Airport, Flesland in Norway. In addition to charter aviation and an aviation workshop, it offered until 2017 a scheduled service between Bergen and Notodden Airport, Tuven. The airline operated two Beechcraft B200 King Air aircraft and one Cessna Citation CJ2. The airline was established in 1998, offering seaplane charter flights using Cessna 421 aircraft. The service to Notodden started in 2000; a Cessna 441 was acquired in 2003, and from 2006 the company used two Beechcraft. The company is owned by Geir Hellsten and Håkon Lie-Nielsen.

Contents

This airline is not to be confused with Bergen Air Transport (1961), which operated from approximately 1961 to 1977 with Douglas DC-3, DC-4 und DHC-2 Beaver aircraft. [1] [2]

History

Bergen Air Transport Beechcraft 200 at Kristiansund Airport, Kvernberget Bergen Air Transport.png
Bergen Air Transport Beechcraft 200 at Kristiansund Airport, Kvernberget

Bergen Air Transport was founded in 1998 by Geir Hellsten and Håkon Lie-Nielsen, and commenced operations the following year. Initial operations consisted of charter services, using a Cessna 421B. In 2000, the company replaced this aircraft with a Cessna 421C, and started the scheduled route between Bergen and Notodden using the six-seat aircraft. [3] In 2000, the company had eleven employees and 2.6 million kr in revenue. To begin with, it made four round trips per week, but in 2001 it chose to increase to five, after experiencing high cabin loads. [4] It transported 1,000 passengers in 2000, and 1,500 the following year. [5] During the summer of 2002, the company also attempted to fly from Notodden to Kristiansund Airport, Kvernberget, but was forced to give up due to lack of passengers. [6]

Cessna 441 Conquest II at Gdansk Lech Walesa Airport in 2005 Bergen Air Transport Cessna Conquest.jpg
Cessna 441 Conquest II at Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport in 2005

A hangar was built at Bergen Airport in 2003, and at the same time the airline was certified as a mechanical aviation workshop. The following year, the Cessna 421 was replaced with a Cessna 441 Conquest II. In 2006, two Beechcraft King Air were bought, and the last Cessna sold. [3] On 20 November 2003, Notodden Airport was closed for all scheduled traffic by the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority, due to a lack of safety requirements. Bergen Air Transport was forced to reroute all its aircraft to Skien Airport, Geiteryggen. Following an investment of NOK 500,000 from the airline and NOK 1.2 million from the municipality, which owns the airport, scheduled services commenced again. [7] From 1 October 2004, NOK 250,000 was invested at Notodden Airport. [8] Starting in October 2004, the airline also introduced security control of all passengers at Notodden Airport. [9] In 2005, the company had a revenue of NOK 10.3 million; this increased to NOK 20.1 million in 2006, giving a profit of NOK 2.8 million, [10] when the airline transported 2,841 passengers. [11]

In September 2007, the company bought a new hangar at Notodden, giving it ample space for expansion, and new arrival and departure facilities., [12] At the same time, the airline bought its first jet, a Cessna Citation CJ2. [12] That year saw the airline transport 3441 passengers on 552 flights on the Bergen–Notodden route. [11] The airline ceased operation of the route in 2017 and ceased all operative services the same year.

Related Research Articles

Bergen Airport, Flesland International airport serving Bergen, Norway

Bergen Airport, Flesland, alternatively Bergen Flesland Airport or simply Flesland Airport, is an international airport located at Flesland in the city and municipality of Bergen, Vestland, Norway. Opened in 1955, it is the second-busiest airport in Norway, with 6,306,623 passengers in 2018. Flesland is operated by the state-owned Avinor. Until 1999 Flesland Air Station of the Norwegian Air Force was co-located at the airport.

Coast Air

Coast Air AS was a regional airline based at Haugesund Airport, Karmøy in Norway. It was Norway's fourth largest airline and operated domestic services within Norway, in addition to international services. Routes were concentrated along the West Coast, as well as some public service obligation contracts in Southern Norway. The company had a fleet of de Havilland Canada Twin Otter aircraft, later replaced with Jetstream 31s and ATR 42s.

Partnair A/S was a Norwegian charter airline which operated from 1971 to 1989. During the later 1980s it was Norway's fifth-largest airline by revenue, operating a fleet of three Convair CV-580 and six Beechcraft Super King Air. The airline was based at Oslo Airport, Fornebu, as well as operating a base at Stavanger Airport, Sola.

Skien Airport, Geiteryggen

Skien Airport, Geiteryggen is a regional airport located at Geiteryggen, 5.5 kilometers (3.4 mi) southwest of the city center of Skien, Norway. Owned by Skien Municipality, it was last served by Widerøe with daily flights to Bergen. The runway is 1,416-by-30-meter and numbered 01–19. The airport had 33,080 passengers in 2014 and has Grenland and the southern part of Telemark as its catchment area.

Stord Airport, Sørstokken

Stord Airport, Sørstokken is a municipal regional airport located at Sørstokken in Stord Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. Located 13 kilometres (8 mi) from Leirvik and on the island of Stord, it is the only airport with scheduled services in Sunnhordland. The airport consists of a single asphalt 1,460-by-30-metre runway designated 14/32. It is classified as an airport of entry. Danish Air Transport operates up to three daily flights to Oslo Airport, Gardermoen. Previously the airport has been served by Coast Aero Center, Fonnafly, Air Stord, Teddy Air, Widerøe and Sun Air of Scandinavia.

Vildanden AS was a virtual, regional airline based at Skien Airport, Geiteryggen in Norway, where it was the only airline. With operations starting in 2005, it flew to Bergen, Trondheim and Stavanger using a Jetstream 32 and an ATR 42, which is wet leased from Danish Air Transport (DAT) and Helitrans. Previously, the airline has also served Stockholm and Molde, and has also operated Saab 340 aircraft, operated by Coast Air, Air Aurora and Avitrans. The airline had been in conflict with Coast Air about terminating the wet lease agreement. The company has had to be bailed out several times, including by the municipality, until it managed to make its first profit in 2009. It ceased operations and filed for bankruptcy in January 2011.

Lufttransport

Lufttransport is a Norwegian helicopter and fixed-wing airline that operates primarily air ambulance helicopters and planes for the Norwegian and Swedish governments. In addition the airline offers services including surveillance for the Norwegian Coast Guard, transport of ship pilots and scheduled air transport in the Norwegian territory of Svalbard.

Norsk Air was a Norwegian airline based at Sandefjord Airport, Torp. At its height from the mid-1980s and onwards it operated scheduled flights to Stavanger, Bergen, Trondheim and Copenhagen, and for shorter periods also other Norwegian and international destinations. The airline had 156 employees and 150,000 annual passengers in 1989. The company was established as a sole proprietorship by Øyvind Skaunfelt as Vestfoldfly in 1961, after purchasing Thor Solberg's aviation school at Tønsberg Airport, Jarlsberg. In addition to an aviation college, the company operated various charter services using mostly Cessna aircraft. The company split into a flying school and an airline in 1972, with the latter taking the name Norsk Flytjeneste. Three 50-passenger Douglas DC-6 were subsequently bought and were among other places flown with aid charters to Bangladesh. Both the DC-6 and later charter flights with business jets proved unprofitable and were quickly terminated.

Notodden Airport, Tuven Airport in Telemark, Norway

Notodden Airport, Tuven is a municipal regional airport at Heddal in Notodden, a municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. The airport is mostly used for general aviation, and has extensive sailplane activity. Bergen Air Transport operates the airport's only scheduled route, six times per week to Bergen Airport, Flesland. In 2011, the airport had 5,078 aircraft movements and 3,423 passengers. The airport has a single 1,393-by-40-meter runway with flight information service and instrument landing system. In connection with the airport is a water aerodrome, which uses the lake of Heddalsvatnet for take-off and landing.

Geilo Airport, Dagali Airport in Hol, Norway

Geilo Airport, Dagali is a private airport located at Dagali in Hol in Viken county, Norway. It was previously a public airport that was both a regional airport and served international tourist charter airlines serving the nearby ski resorts centered on Geilo. The airport opened in 1985, but failed commercially and was eventually closed in 2003.

Hamar Airport, Stafsberg

Hamar Airport, Stafsberg is a general aviation airport located at Stafsberg in Hamar, Norway. It features a 944-by-23-meter runway aligned 15–33 and is owned by Hamar Municipality. The airport is located in an area with very stable climate and good flying conditions.

Coast Aero Center A/S was a regional airline based Haugesund Airport, Karmøy in Karmøy, Norway. It had only small-plane operations and mechanical services until 1984, when it acquired concessions to operate at the new Stord Airport, Sørstokken, Geilo Airport, Dagali, and eventually from Haugesund to Aberdeen. It soon turned out that the company was not profitable and it filed for bankruptcy in 1988. The estate continued on as Coast Air.

Teddy Air Regional airline in Geiteryggen, Norway

Teddy Air AS was a regional airline, based at Skien Airport, Geiteryggen, in Norway. Operating between 1989 and 2004, the company operated Britten-Norman Islander, Embraer 110 and Saab 340 aircraft. The company started by providing a scheduled service between Skien and Oslo in 1990, followed by services to Stavanger in 1993 and Bergen in 1994. In 1996, it won a contract with the Ministry of Transport from Oslo to Fagernes. It was involved in intense competition with other regional airlines, notably Coast Air and Guard Air, following the deregulation of the aviation market. It also had a single international service to Gothenburg, and from 1999 it served Stord Airport, Sørstokken. From 1999, the company was transformed to a virtual airline, which wet leased aircraft from Golden Air. The company ceased operations in 2004.

Timetoget Former Norwegian railway company

Timetoget Bratsbergbanen AS, trading as Timetoget, is a defunct railway company that tried to start operating passenger trains on the Bratsberg Line in Norway. The concept was launched in 1998, and in 1999 an agreement was made with the incumbent, Norwegian State Railways (NSB), to start operation in 2000. The founders were Gjermund Jamtveit and Halvor Grene, while NSB owned a third of the company. The company bought three used Y1 railcars from Sweden.

Krohn Air Norwegian virtual airline

Krohn Air AS was a virtual, regional airline whose primary route was between Molde Airport, Årø to Trondheim Airport, Værnes in Norway. The airline was established in 2010 after Scandinavian Airlines pulled out of the Molde–Trondheim route. The airline aimed at the business segment, with early morning departures and two daily round trips.

History of Widerøe

Widerøe, a regional airline based in Norway, was established by Viggo Widerøe, Einar Isdahl and Arild Widerøe on 19 February 1934. The airline started off with a combination of scheduled, aerial photography and general aviation services using seaplanes. It lost its route concessions to Norwegian Air Lines in 1935 and was subsequently bought by that company, for whom it operated several minor routes. World War II hindered Widerøe from operating any flights between 1939 and 1945. After the war Widerøe started flying various seaplane routes that were too small for DNL and its successor, Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS). These routes were commonly flown using Noorduyn Norseman and de Havilland Canada Otter aircraft. During the 1960s Widerøe attempted operating Douglas DC-3s for charter flights, but soon closed those operations.

Airwing

Airwing AS is a Norwegian airline based at Oslo Airport, Gardermoen. It operates a fleet of Learjet 45s and Beechcraft Super King Airs, which it uses for a mix of scheduled, air taxi and air ambulance services. Established in 2004, the airline initially focused on air ambulance and air taxi operations.

Arendal Airport, Gullknapp

Arendal Airport, Gullknapp is a general aviation airport situated at Blakstadheia in Froland, Norway. It consists of a single 1,120-meter (3,650 ft) asphalt runway aligned 05/23. The airport is located about 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) from the town center of Arendal.

Mørefly

Mørefly A/S was an airline and general aviation company which operated between 1955 and 1995. Based in Ålesund and later Giske, Norway, it was involved in a wide range of operations, the most dominant being air ambulance services and helicopter services. Mørefly was based at Ålesund Airport, Sørneset until 1979 and thereafter at Ålesund Airport, Vigra. During its peak in the mid 1990s it had 150 employees and annual revenue of 250 million Norwegian krone (NOK).

Nordsjøfly A/S was an airline which operated from 1977 to 1983 out of Haugesund Airport, Karmøy. Based in Avaldsnes in Karmøy, Norway, the airline used a mix of aircraft to operate scheduled and charter flights. It was started at the time of Haugesund Airport opening and commenced a taxi route service to Bergen and Stavanger, at first using the Piper PA-31 Chieftain and a Beechcraft 99 Queenliner.

References

  1. ↑ Klee, Ulrich & Bucher, Frank et al. jp airline-fleets international 1970–1977. Zürich-Airport, 1970–1977.
  2. ↑ Hagby, Kay: Norwegian Civil Aircraft since 1919, an illustrated register survey.. Midland Counties Publications, Earl Shilton, 1980, ISBN   0 904597 24 5.
  3. 1 2 "Historie" (in Norwegian). Bergen Air Transport. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  4. ↑ Vik, Glenn (9 July 2001). "Større fly og flere reisemål fra Notodden". Telen (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  5. ↑ "Solid økning i flytrafikken". Telen (in Norwegian). 30 November 2001. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  6. ↑ "Ny flyrute til Kristiansund". Telen (in Norwegian). 16 May 2002. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  7. ↑ Pedersen, Jarle (3 January 2003). "Fortsatt rutefly fra Notodden Lufthavn". Telemarksavisa (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  8. ↑ Aulie, Kjell (10 October 2004). "Tretten lys til en kvart million kroner". Telemarksavisa (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 10 June 1998. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  9. ↑ Aulie, Kjell (1 October 2004). "Sjekker alle passasjerer". Varden (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 10 June 1998. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  10. ↑ Aulie, Kjell (29 October 2007). "Solid pluss i Bergen Air". Varden (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  11. 1 2 Johansson, Henning (1 March 2008). "Flyplassen er lønnsom". Telen (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  12. 1 2 Buverud, Unni (17 September 2007). "Ny ankomsthall". Telen (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 25 October 2011.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.