SAS Commuter

Last updated
SAS Commuter
SAS Commuter Logo.svg
IATA ICAO Callsign
SKSASSCANDINAVIAN
Founded1988
Ceased operations1 October 2004
Operating bases
Frequent-flyer program EuroBonus
Alliance Star Alliance
Fleet size33 (2004)
Parent company SAS Group
Headquarters Kastrup, Tårnby Municipality, Denmark
Key peopleKristian Kircheiner (Managing Director)

SAS Commuter, also branded as Scandinavian Commuter, was a regional airline which operated in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. A sister company of Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), it operated various regional services on behalf of the Scandinavian flag carrier. The airline was headquartered at Copenhagen Airport, which also served as its main base. It later also operated bases at Tromsø Airport; Stockholm Arlanda Airport; Trondheim Airport, Værnes and Bergen Airport, Flesland.

Contents

Established in 1984 as Commuter Operations Department, a business unit of SAS, it initially flew minor services out of Copenhagen using a fleet of nine Fokker F27 Friendships. Twenty-two Fokker 50s were delivered in 1989 and 1990. They operated out of Copenhagen under the Eurolink brand, as well as taking over regional services in Northern Norway from May 1990 under the Norlink brand. Starting in February 1997, SAS Commuter took delivery of six Saab 2000, with it operated with the Swelink brand. They served domestic and secondary Finnish destinations out of Stockholm.

SAS Commuter became the launch customer of the Bombardier Dash 8-Q400 in January 2000, which over the next two years replaced the Eurolink Fokkers and the Saabs. The Q400 were initially plagued with technical faults. The Norlink operations were in 2002 abandoned to sister company Widerøe. However, from April 2003 SAS Commuter took over former Braathens routes in Western Norway, operated under the Westlink brand. SAS Commuter was dissolved on 1 October 2004 and integrated into the three national operating companies.

History

Commuter Operations Department

Following the retirement of the Convair Metropolitan in 1976, SAS operated an all-jetliner fleet. [1] Although it is the designated flag carrier for the three Scandinavian countries, each country has allowed domestic airlines to operate a significant portion of the domestic services. By the 1980s the smallest aircraft in SAS' fleet is the Douglas DC-9, which is too large for some services. [2] Discussions were carried out in 1983 to create a dedicated domestic airline for Sweden, which would see a merger between among others SAS' domestic operations, Linjeflyg and Swedair. No agreement could be reached. [3]

A Fokker F27-600 Friendship at Hamburg Airport in 1989 SAS Eurolink F-27-600.jpg
A Fokker F27-600 Friendship at Hamburg Airport in 1989

SAS therefore decided to subcontract the operation of some of its international and domestic services to Busy Bee and Swedair, starting in 1982. Most of these were international services out of Copenhagen, as well as domestic routes in Sweden. [4] The move was met with fierce opposition from the pilots unions, who threatened to "boycott" the decision by continuing to land aircraft on the former routes. For instance, services from Copenhagen to Kristiansand Airport, Kjevik and Bergen Airport, Flesland had previously been operated as a two-legged flight. With smaller aircraft, both could be operated as nonstop services. [5]

After pressure from the pilots' union, SAS decided on 7 March 1984 to establish the Commuter Operations Department (COD) as a business unit. It would operate a series of regional airliners and have its own crew. The aircraft would otherwise be branded in line with SAS livery and branding. SAS terminated its agreements with Busy Bee and Swedair prematurely in order to insource the operations. [6]

A Fokker F27-600 Friendship at Stockholm Arlanda Airport in 1987 SAS F-27 SE-ITH.jpg
A Fokker F27-600 Friendship at Stockholm Arlanda Airport in 1987

Nine Fokker F27s were bought, four from Trans Australia Airlines for $9.5 million. Services commenced on 17 December 1984 with the first four aircraft under the subbrand Eurolink—operating shorter hauls out of Copenhagen Airport. [7] Initially this included routes to Oslo Airport, Fornebu; Göteborg Landvetter Airport; Haugesund Airport, Karmøy; Kristiansand Airport, Kjevik; Jönköping Airport and Hamburg Airport. The services to Hamburg was by far the busiest, with five to seven daily services. [8] The old aircraft, built between 1967 and 1969, were unpopular with the customers because of low comfort, high noise levels and many technical problems. Customers would often complain when they realized they would have to travel with a F27 rather than a DC-9. [7] A further five F27 were bought from Aero Trasporti Italiani in 1985, costing 70 million Swedish kronor (SEK). [7]

Fokker 50

SAS announced in October 1986 that they intended to replace their commuter fleet with a newer aircraft type. [8] The SAS Group's three owner companies—Aerotransport, Danish Air Lines and Norwegian Air Lines—decided in May 1988 to split the SAS Group into three consortia. Essentially the charter operator Scanair and SAS Commuter were split out into separate companies which became sisters of the SAS Group, owned in the tradition 3:2:2 ratio. [9] This took effect in 1989. [10]

Eurolink Fokker 50 in 1994 Fokker 50, SE-LFP, Scandinavian Commuter Eurolink.jpg
Eurolink Fokker 50 in 1994

The airline settled on ordering twenty-two Fokker 50s. By then the airline had decided to introduce two succinct brands, a continuation of the Eurolink operations out of Copenhagen and a Norlink brand to be used in Northern Norway. The aircraft received slightly different configurations, with the Eurolink aircraft having 46 seats to accommodate EuroClass, SAS' business class. The Norlink aircraft were all-economy and had seating for 50 passengers. Delivery of the first twenty aircraft took place between September 1989 and November 1990, with the last two being handed over in May 1991. [11] By 1991 SAS Commuter was making a profit of SEK 58 million in 1991. [12]

SAS' traditional route model in Northern Norway consisted of operating DC-9s and later McDonnell Douglas MD-80s to Tromsø Airport and then continuing onwards to a combination of Alta Airport; Lakselv Airport, Banak and Kirkenes Airport, Høybuktmoen. [13] SAS was flying what they considered local routes with DC-9s, others were flown at high costs by Widerøe using de Havilland Canada Dash 7s. [14]

Eurolink Fokker 50 at Copenhagen Airport in 2000 LN-RNB F.50 SAS Commuter CPH 16AUG00 (6870249045).jpg
Eurolink Fokker 50 at Copenhagen Airport in 2000

SAS announced in September 1988 that it intended to change this model. DC-9s and MD-80s would fly nonstop from Oslo to Alta, and then a hub and spoke system would be established by SAS Commuter whereby they would feed into the Alta, which was designated as hub. This led to increase frequency on some of the feeder routes, for instance from three to six on the Tromsø to Alta service and Kirkenes going from two to five daily services. Also Bardufoss Airport lost its direct service and was instead fed into Bodø. Seven Fokker 50s were reserved for Norlink, which also took over all SAS flights operating between airports from Trondheim Airport, Værnes and northwards. [14] For instance, a F50 used 650 kilograms (1,430 lb) of fuel from Tromsø to Kirkenes, compared to 2.2 tonnes used by a DC-9. Overall, SAS hoped to save NOK 60 million per year on the new network. A route from Tromsø to Murmansk Airport in Russia was also introduced. [15]

SAS Commuter chose to locate its Norlink base at Tromsø Airport. [16] This caused other airlines in Northern Norway to lose significant numbers of pilots to SAS, as the airline could offer higher wages than the other regional airlines in the region. [17]

Two Fokker 50s in Norlink colors at Trondheim Airport, Vaernes in 1999 Scandinavian Commuter Norlink F50.jpg
Two Fokker 50s in Norlink colors at Trondheim Airport, Værnes in 1999

Operations commenced on 7 May 1990. [15] Early operations were plagued with problems, which often caused the entire operation to collapse throughout the day. The Fokker 50s were prone to various faults, often grounding them. This was exasperated by a lack of mechanics and spare parts. SAS had not been able to train sufficient captains in time, which caused additional services to be terminated. [18] Added to this was insufficient turn-around time for the aircraft at the airports, especially in Alta were four aircraft were to operate simultaneously. The increased number of transferring passengers made the system less robust for delays. [19] SAS cut eleven daily services in January 1991, [20] and followed up with a further seventeen —a twenty percent reduction—in October. The airline cited a decline in patronage and an annual loss in Norlink alone of NOK 56 million. [21]

Negotiations were started between SAS and Braathens SAFE in late 1991 concerning a merger of the two group's regional airlines in Norway. In what was proposed to be called Norwegian Commuter, Norlink and Busy Bee would pool their regional operations. There were proposals for a full-out merger, or a mere pooling where the two existing companies wet lease services to the new company. [22] Uncertainty related to the deregulation of the industry caused the merger to be abandoned. [23]

From October 1992 two of the Fokkers were transferred from Norlink to Eurolink. This was in part due to the Norwegian Armed Forces going over to buying commercial flights and thus more direct services with DC-9s and MD-80s. From then SAS Commuter needed only four aircraft in revenue service, with the fifth being a reserve. [24] By the end of 1992, SAS estimated they had lost NOK 250 million on Norlink in isolation, although the commuter services generated significant profitable revenue for the jetliner routes. [25] Later SAS Commuter established a technical and operations base at Trondheim Airport, Værnes. [26] SAS Commuter pulled out of the routes from Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes to Tromsø and Bodø, as well as the route between Tromsø and Lakselv from 1997. These routes were going with a loss and were instead made subject to public service obligations. [27]

Swelink Saab 2000 at Angelholm-Helsingborg Airport SAS Swelink Saab 2000 SE-LSG.jpg
Swelink Saab 2000 at Ängelholm–Helsingborg Airport

SAS bought Swedair in 1993, but allowed it to enter receivership in 1994. [28] Meanwhile, SAS was working on a major fleet replacement project to replace its Fokker F28 Fellowships with larger Boeing 737s. This would raise the size of the smallest jetliners from 80 to 120 passengers, too large for many of the smallest routes. SAS therefore started planning on expanding the SAS Commuter operations to Sweden. [29]

SAS Commuter announced on 30 July 1996 the order of four Saab 2000s, later increased to six. These would be part of a new division, Swelink, which would operate out of Stockholm Arlanda Airport. The first two aircraft were delivered in February 1997, with the next two arriving in April. The final two were handed over in January and March 1998. The main area of operation were smaller domestic services out of Arlanda, Kalmar, Karlstad, Kristianstad, Ronneby, Skellefteå and Växjö. The aircraft were also occasionally used on the route to Gothenburg. Swelink was also used on three secondary routes to Finland, to Tampere, Turku and Vaasa. [30]

Q400

A Dash 8-Q402 LN-RDD Scandinavian Commuter (SAS) (2192414439).jpg
A Dash 8-Q402

The order for 15 Bombardier Dash 8-Q400 and a further option for 18 more was signed on 26 August 1997. SAS Commuter later executed 13 of the options. [31] The Q400s were planned to and would ultimately replace the entire Saab 2000 fleet of Swelink [30] and the Fokker 50 fleet of Eurolink. However, Norlink retained use of Fokker 50 aircraft. [11] The first Q400 was delivered on 18 January 2000 and entered traffic on 7 February. [31]

As the launch customer of extended Q400, SAS was prone to many of the early faults with the aircraft type. [32] Aviation historian Åke Hall stated that it was the aircraft type which SAS has had the most challenges with throughout its history. [31] First of all the production was delayed and by May only four of eleven planned deliveries had been made. One issue was false alarms created by the cockpit software, while oil leaks caused for engines to have to be replaced. [33] By October there had been nine emergency landings caused by various technical faults, and SAS Commuter chose to ground the aircraft for several days. [32] Deliveries came to a halt that month as the eleven first aircraft were all having faults caused by the same defects. Delivery of further aircraft resumed in February 2001. As the various issues were resolved, the aircraft entered a more normal mode of operation. The 28th aircraft was delivered in 2002. [31]

Westlink Fokker 50 taking off from Oslo Airport, Gardermoen Fokker50.jpg
Westlink Fokker 50 taking off from Oslo Airport, Gardermoen

Following a period of intense price war and huge losses, the SAS Group was given permission to buy its main domestic competitor Braathens in late 2001. [34] After having been a substantial owner since 1997, the SAS Group took full ownership of Norwegian regional carrier Widerøe in May 2002. [35] Braathens' regional services in Western Norway were at the time operated by the subcarrier Norwegian Air Shuttle. SAS announced in 2002 that it intended that these route be taken over by SAS Commuter, while the Norlink services would be operated by Widerøe, where the latter already had a major presence. The latter took effect in October 2002. [36] After Norwegian relaunched themselves as a low-cost carrier in September 2002, they were eager to rid themselves of regional routes. SAS therefore agreed to pay Norwegian NOK 65 million cash to terminate the routes from 1 April 2003. [37]

Westlink consisted of about fifty daily services along the coast between Kristiansand and Trondheim. [38] The switch involved closing down the base in Tromsø and establishing a new main base for Westlink at Bergen Airport, Flesland. [26]

DHC-8-402Q at Stockholm Arlanda Airport in 2002 De Havilland Canada DHC-8-402Q Dash 8, Scandinavian Commuter - SAS AN0257607.jpg
DHC-8-402Q at Stockholm Arlanda Airport in 2002

Widerøe, who have lower wage costs and economies of scale derived from other regional operation in Norway, had planned the take-over of the Westlink routes in the mid-2000s. This had however been canceled after an employee at the SAS Group, not knowing about Widerøe's plans, had renewed the lease of the Fokker 50s for another five years. [39]

Disestablishment

In its last full year of operation, 2003, SAS Commuter had a revenue of SEK 2.5 billion, making a loss of between 100 and 200 million. The SAS Group decided in May 2004 to terminate SAS Commuter as a separate company. The reason was that the airline was restructuring itself. In Norway, SAS' operations would merge with Braathens to create SAS Braathens, which would also envelop the Westlink services and inherit the Fokker 50s. Similar national operating companies were established for Denmark and Sweden. SAS stated that the utility of having SAS Commuter was lower operating costs than Scandinavian Airlines, but that restructuring had caused these discrepancies to dissipate. The last flight took place on 1 October 2004. [40]

Fleet

At the time the airline was merged into the national airlines, it had the following fleet

SAS Commuter aircraft
AircraftImageQuantityPaxStartEndRef(s).
Fokker F27 Friendship SAS F-27 SE-ITH.jpg 94019841990 [41]
Fokker 50 Scandinavian Commuter F50 LN-RNE.jpg 2246–5019902004 [11] [42]
Saab 2000 SAS Commuter Saab 2000 LN-LSA.jpg 74919972001 [43]
Bombardier Dash-8-Q400 Scandinavian Commuter Q400 OY-KCD.jpg 2872–7620002004 [44] [45]

Related Research Articles

Braathens ASA, until 1997 Braathens South American & Far East Airtransport A/S and trading as Braathens SAFE, was a Norwegian airline which operated from 1946 until it merged with Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) in 2004 to become SAS Braathens. For most of its history, Braathens was the largest domestic airline in Norway, but did not operate an international network for many years. Its main hubs were Oslo Airport, Fornebu and later Oslo Airport, Gardermoen, and briefly Stockholm-Arlanda Airport. The airline operated 118 aircraft of 15 models, mostly Boeing 737 variants. Braathens served 53 airports and 50 cities with scheduled services through its history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stavanger Airport</span> Airport in Rogaland county, Norway

Stavanger Airport, commonly just known as Sola, is an international airport located in Rogaland county, Norway. The airport is located 6 NM southwest of the centre of the city of Stavanger inside the neighboring municipality of Sola and it serves the Stavanger, Sola, Sandnes area as well as serves as a regional hub for southwest Norway. It is Norway's third-busiest airport, with both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopter traffic for the offshore North Sea oil installations. In addition, the Royal Norwegian Air Force operates Westland Sea King search and rescue helicopters from Sola Air Station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kristiansund Airport, Kvernberget</span> Airport in Nordlandet, Kristiansund

Kristiansund Airport is an international airport serving Kristiansund, Norway. It is situated at Kvernberget on the island of Nordlandet and is the sole scheduled airport serving Nordmøre. The airport features a 2,390-meter (7,840 ft) runway aligned 07/25. In addition to scheduled services operated by Scandinavian Airlines and Widerøe, it serves offshore helicopter traffic to the Norwegian Sea operated by CHC Helikopter Service. Kvernberget handled 314,084 passengers in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Busy Bee</span> Former Norwegian charter airline

Busy Bee was an airline which operated in Norway between 1966 and 1992. Entirely based around wet lease, it conducted a mix of regional services for larger airlines and the military, as well as corporate, ad hoc and inclusive tour charters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kristiansand Airport</span> Airport in Kristiansand, Agder

Kristiansand Airport is an international airport serving Kristiansand Municipality in Agder county, Norway. The airport is located in the district of Tveit in the Oddernes borough, about 16 kilometers (9.9 mi) by road and 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) by air from the center of town of Kristiansand. Operated by the state-owned Avinor, it is the sole airport in Southern Norway with scheduled flights. It has a 2,035-meter (6,677 ft) runway aligned 03/21 and served 1,061,130 passengers in 2018. Scheduled flights are provided by Scandinavian Airlines, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Widerøe, KLM Cityhopper and Wizz Air. The Royal Norwegian Air Force has a training center at the airport.

Andøya Airport is a domestic airport located in the village of Andenes in Andøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is situated on the northern tip of the island of Andøya. The airport is the civilian sector of Andøya Air Station and is operated by the state-owned Avinor. The airport consists of two runways, 2,468 and 1,672 meters long, and served 48,254 passengers in 2012. Widerøe operates public service obligation (PSO) flights to Bodø, Tromsø, Stokmarknes and Harstad/Narvik, while Norwegian Air Shuttle operates seasonal flights to Oslo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes</span> International airport in Nordland, Norway

Harstad/Narvik Airport is an international airport located in Evenes Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The airport serves the towns of Harstad and Narvik. It is co-located with Evenes Air Station of the Royal Norwegian Air Force. The civilian sector is owned and operated by the state-owned Avinor and handled 654,977 passengers in 2013. Evenes has a 2,808-meter (9,213 ft) runway, a parallel taxiway and a terminal with five gates. The airlines with daily scheduled services are Norwegian Air Shuttle, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) and Widerøe. Destinations with daily services are Oslo, Trondheim, Bodø, Tromsø and Andenes. Evenes is the only primary airport in Central Hålogaland and its catchment area for Oslo-bound flights includes Lofoten and Vesterålen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tromsø Airport</span> Airport in Tromsøya, Tromsø

Tromsø Airport is an international airport located at Langnes in the city of Tromsø in Tromsø Municipality, Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. Situated on the western shore of the island of Tromsøya, it features a 2,447-meter (8,028 ft) runway aligned 18/36. Owned and operated by the state-owned Avinor, Langnes handled 1,910,692 passengers, 43,219 aircraft movements and 2,758 tonnes of cargo in 2014. This makes Tromsø the fifth-busiest airport in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oslo Airport, Fornebu</span> 1939-1998 airport in Oslo, Norway.

Oslo Airport, Fornebu, was the primary international airport serving Oslo and Eastern Norway from 1 June 1939 to 7 October 1998. It was then replaced by Oslo Airport, Gardermoen, and the area has since been redeveloped. The airport was located at Fornebu in Bærum, 8 km (5.0 mi) from the city center. Fornebu had two runways, one 2,370 m (7,780 ft) 06/24 and one 1,800 m (5,900 ft) 01/19, and a capacity of 20 aircraft. In 1996, the airport had 170,823 aircraft movements and 10,072,054 passengers. The airport served as a hub for Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS), Braathens SAFE and Widerøe. In 1996, they and 21 other airlines served 28 international destinations. Due to limited terminal and runway capacity, intercontinental and charter airlines used Gardermoen. The Royal Norwegian Air Force retained offices at Fornebu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alta Airport</span> Airport in Alta, Norway

Alta Airport is an international airport serving Alta, a town and municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The airport is located at Elvebakken, 4 kilometers (2.5 mi) east of the city center. It has a single, 2,253-meter (7,392 ft) runway numbered 11/29, which lies on the southern shore of the Altafjord. Alta Airport is owned and operated by the state-owned Avinor, and served 368,393 passengers in 2014, making it the busiest airport in Finnmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirkenes Airport</span> Airport in Sør-Varanger, Norway

Kirkenes Airport is an international airport located at Høybuktmoen, 15 kilometers (9 mi) west of the town of Kirkenes, in the municipality of Sør-Varanger, Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. Operated by the state-owned Avinor, the airport has a single 2,115-by-45-meter asphalt runway numbered 05-23. Scandinavian Airlines and Norwegian Air Shuttle operate Boeing 737-services to Oslo Airport, Gardermoen, in part generated by Høybuktmoen's function as a hub for Widerøe's regional services to other airports in eastern Finnmark. There are also summer charter flights to Central Europe to bring tourists to the Hurtigruten cruises. The airport had 297,149 passengers in 2013.

Transwede Airways AB, was a Swedish charter and later also scheduled airline operating between 1985 and 1998. Based at Stockholm Arlanda Airport, Transwede initially flew Sud Aviation Caravelles, and from 1987 also McDonnell Douglas MD-80s. Most charter services were operated for package tour companies to the Mediterranean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamar Airport, Stafsberg</span> Airport in Hamar, Norway

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swedair</span> 1968–1994 airline in Sweden

Swedair AB was a Swedish regional airline that existed from 1935 to 1994. It was founded as Svensk Flygtjänst AB by Tor Eliasson, who was CEO until his death in 1971. The companies last manageing director was Lars svanstrom

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Braathens SAFE (1946–1993)</span> History of Braathens SAFE from founding to 1993

Braathens South American & Far East Airtransport A/S or Braathens SAFE was founded by ship-owner Ludvig G. Braathen in 1946. It started as a charter airline based at Oslo Airport, Fornebu in Norway, flying to destinations in the Far East and in South America. At first the airline used Douglas DC-4s, and later also Douglas DC-3s. In 1948, the airline moved to Oslo Airport, Fornebu and started regular scheduled flights to the Far East. In 1952, the airline started cooperation with the Icelandic airline Loftleidir, where until 1960 the two airlines in cooperation flew flights to Reykjavík. Domestic services started in 1951, using de Havilland Herons on a route from Oslo to Stavanger via Tønsberg. Braathens SAFE also established at Stavanger Airport, Sola. A second route was started two years later to Trondheim. The Heron routes also stopped in Farsund, Kristiansand, Notodden to Stavanger and Hamar, Røros to Trondheim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Braathens (1994–2004)</span> History of Braathens from domestic market deregulation to dissolution

Braathens SAFE's domestic market was deregulated on 1 April 1994. Since then, any airline within the European Economic Area is free to operate any domestic or international route. Braathens rejected a proposal from the main competitor Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) for a merger; instead the helicopter division was sold and the company listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange. New routes were opened from Oslo Airport, Fornebu to Bodø, Harstad/Narvik and Tromsø, but the routes from Bergen to these cities were terminated. International routes to Rome, Nice and Jersey were introduced. In 1996, Braathens SAFE bought Sweden's second-largest airline, Transwede, and started flying on the Oslo–Stockholm route. The following year, Transwede, with its five domestic routes, was merged into Braathens SAFE. The same year, KLM bought 30% of Braathens SAFE and the airlines started a partnership.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Widerøe</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakselv Airport</span> Airport in Banak, Norway

Lakselv Airport is an international airport located at Banak, 1.5 kilometers north of Lakselv, in the municipality of Porsanger, Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. Co-located with the military Station Group Banak, the airport is owned and operated by the state-owned Avinor. The airport is also branded as North Cape Airport, although the North Cape is 190 km (120 mi) away, and the nearest airport is Honningsvåg Airport, Valan.

References

  1. ↑ Hall: 15
  2. ↑ Learmount, David (5 July 1986). "How to be busy in a small hive". Flight International : 34–39. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  3. ↑ Hall: 16
  4. ↑ Løvstuhagen, Knut (18 August 1983). "Styrmenn får kapteins status: SAS-piloter presser seg inn i Swedair". Aftenposten (in Norwegian). p. 33.
  5. ↑ Johansen, Arnstein (11 February 1984). "Full krig i SAS". Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). p. 18.
  6. ↑ Guhnfeldt, Cato (17 March 1984). "Strid om Skandinaviaflyvninger: SAS bryter med Busy Bee". Aftenposten (in Norwegian). p. 8.
  7. 1 2 3 Hall: 173
  8. 1 2 Hansen, Lars Ditlev (12 December 1984). "Forsinket åpning mandag: Harde forhandlinger om "miniSAS"-avtaler". Aftenposten (in Norwegian). p. 34.
  9. ↑ Hansen, Lars Otter (27 May 1988). "SAS blir delt i tre selskaper". Aftenposten (in Norwegian). p. 50.
  10. ↑ Hall: 177
  11. 1 2 3 Hall: 176–177
  12. ↑ Solvang, Ola (9 April 1992). "SAS Commuter". Nordlys (in Norwegian). p. 5.
  13. ↑ Heitmann, Frithjof (19 June 2003). "Luftig eventyr". Norsk Flytekniker Organisasjon. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
  14. 1 2 Guhnfeldt, Cato (13 September 1988). "SAS får ny flybase i nord". Aftenposten (in Norwegian). p. 21.
  15. 1 2 "SAS lover kortere reisetid og flere avganger innenlands" (in Norwegian). Norwegian News Agency. 17 October 1989. p. 6.
  16. ↑ Guhnfeldt, Cato (16 December 1988). "Tromsø får basen for SAS Commuter". Aftenposten (in Norwegian). p. 24.
  17. ↑ Guhnfeldt, Cato (17 October 1989). "Pilotflukt til SASnord". Aftenposten (in Norwegian). p. 6.
  18. ↑ Eriksen, Kjell-Gunnar (19 June 1990). "Fullt sammenbrudd". Nordlys (in Norwegian). p. 8.
  19. ↑ Eriksen, Kjell-Gunnar (22 June 1990). "SAS har skylda". Nordlys (in Norwegian). p. 13.
  20. ↑ "Rutekutt". Nordlys (in Norwegian). 26 January 1991. p. 11.
  21. ↑ Guhnfeldt, Cato (30 July 1991). "SAS reduserer i Nord-Norge". Aftenposten (in Norwegian). p. 21.
  22. ↑ Guhnfeldt, Cato (8 November 1991). "Utreder nytt flyselskap". Aftenposten (in Norwegian). p. 4.
  23. ↑ Guhnfeldt, Cato (17 December 1991). "Nytt flyselskap i bero, Busy Bee refinansieres?". Aftenposten (in Norwegian). p. 24.
  24. ↑ Gustad, Ragnhild (28 August 1992). "SAS Commuter". Nordlys (in Norwegian). p. 4.
  25. ↑ Evensen, Kjell (2 June 1993). "SAS taper vel 250 mill. på commuter". Dagens Næringsliv (in Norwegian). p. 10.
  26. 1 2 Helgesen, Jan-Petter (20 January 2003). "SAS Commuter stryker Sola som teknisk base". Stavanger Aftenblad (in Norwegian). p. 22.
  27. ↑ Lillesund, Geir (7 November 2006). "SAS vil ikke fly ruter på Evenes og Lakselv for egen regning" (in Norwegian). Norwegian News Agency.
  28. ↑ Olsson, Matts (10 February 1994). "SAS lägger ner Sveriges äldsta flygbolag" (in Swedish). Tidningarnas Telegrambyrå.
  29. ↑ Froste, Calle (16 October 1995). "Regionalflyg nästa steg för SAS". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). p. 40.
  30. 1 2 Hall: 201
  31. 1 2 3 4 Hall: 216
  32. 1 2 Guhnfeldt, Cato (19 October 2000). "SAS flyr videre med falsk alarm". Aftenposten (in Norwegian). p. 22.
  33. ↑ Guhnfeldt, Cato (31 May 2000). "Nye SAS-fly rammet av feil". Aftenposten (in Norwegian). p. 2.
  34. ↑ Meyer, Henrik D. (23 October 2001). "SAS får kjøpe Braathens". Dagens Næringsliv (in Norwegian). Retrieved 16 September 2009.
  35. ↑ Lillesund, Geir (17 April 2002). "SAS kjøper seg opp i Widerøe for 131 millioner" (in Norwegian). Norwegian News Agency.
  36. ↑ Arnt, Folgerø (17 April 2002). "SAS skal spare penger på rutenedleggelser" (in Norwegian). Norwegian News Agency.
  37. ↑ Trumpy: 174
  38. ↑ Lillesund, Geir (19 December 2002). "SAS Commuter overtar etter NAS på Vestlandet" (in Norwegian). Norwegian News Agency.
  39. ↑ Pedersen, Eivind (15 February 2010). "Over og ut for SAS' problemfly -Widerøe overtar Vestlandet". Dagbladet (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 9 October 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
  40. ↑ Larsen, Trygve (25 May 2004). "SAS sparer 50 millioner". Dagens Næringsliv (in Norwegian). p. 4.
  41. ↑ Hall: 172–173
  42. ↑ Hall: 200–201
  43. ↑ Hall: 215–216
  44. ↑ "Bombardier settles claim with SAS over Q400 turboprops". CBC News. Archived from the original on 13 November 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2012.

Bibliography

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.