Nordic Regional Airlines
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| Founded | 2011 (as Flybe Nordic) | ||||||
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| Hubs | Helsinki-Vantaa Airport | ||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | Finnair Plus | ||||||
| Fleet size | 26 | ||||||
| Destinations | 35 | ||||||
| Parent company | Finnair Oyj | ||||||
| Headquarters | Vantaa, Finland | ||||||
| Website | flynorra.com | ||||||
Nordic Regional Airlines Oy, also known as Norra, and previously known as Flybe Nordic,[1] is a Finnish airline owned by Finnair. The airline began operations on 20 October 2011 as a joint venture between Flybe and Finnair, following their acquisition of Finncomm Airlines. Flybe sold its 60% to Finnair as a temporary solution at a price of one euro (€1) in March 2015. Ownership negotiations with StaffPoint and G.W. Sohlberg are still under way. The airline has operated under Finnair's flight code since 1 May 2015.
History
The creation of the airline was announced on 1 July 2011, when Flybe and Finnair revealed plans to jointly purchase Finnish Commuter Airlines (FCA) and rebrand the airline Flybe Nordic, with Flybe and Finnair each holding a stake in the new entity.[2] Under the terms of the agreement, contingent on approval by regulatory authorities, the purchase price of FCA was €25 million, of which Flybe would pay €12 million and Finnair €13 million.[3] Flybe has a majority stake in Flybe Nordic, holding a 60% stake in the airline, with Finnair holding the remaining 40%; Flybe has three seats on the airline's board of directors with Finnair having the other two.[3] Flybe planned to invest a total of €23.6 million into the new airline, including expenses such as loan repayments in addition to the purchase price of FCA.[4]
At the time of the announcement of Flybe Nordic's creation, Flybe planned to begin operating the new airline on 1 August 2011, with the FCA name being phased out,[2] though the start date was later pushed back to 30 October.[5] A new route network was also planned to be announced in mid-August.[3]
Flybe announced in November 2014 that it would sell its 60% stake in the airline for €1, in an attempt to reduce group costs.[6] In February 2015 the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority approved the sale of its stake (60%) to StaffPoint Holding and G.W. Sohlberg.[7] Flybe sold its 60% to Finnair as a temporary solution at a price of one euro (€1) in March 2015. Ownership negotiations with StaffPoint and G.W. Sohlberg are still under way. The airline has operated under Finnair's flight code since 1 May 2015.[8]
In May 2015 Flybe Nordic was rebranded as Nordic Regional Airlines, Norra.[9]
Destinations
Codeshare agreements
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As of November 2014, Flybe Nordic has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:
Fleet
Current fleet
Nordic Regional Airlines's fleet includes the following aircraft (as of June 2014):[11][12]
| Aircraft | Total | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ATR 72-500 | 12 | 72 | Leased from Finnair[13] |
| Embraer E-190 | 12 | 100 | Operated for Finnair, in Finnair livery |
| Total | 24 |
The ATR 72 are owned by Finnair, which bought them from FCA at a cost of €104 million, and leased to Nordic Regional Airlines (Flybe at the time), as the Embraer 170s, previously owned by Finnair.[2]
Historic fleet
| Aircraft | Introduced | Retired |
|---|---|---|
| ATR 42-500 | 2011 | 2014 |
| Embraer 170 | 2005 | 2016 |
Services
Flybe Finland Ground
In April 2013 it was announced that Flybe Finland Ground will be established to provide ground services to Flybe operations in Finland. This business will initially focus on the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport where it will develop services to support Flybe’s own operations. In the future Flybe Finland Ground will also offer ground services to other airlines in Finland and overseas.[14]
Flybe Finland Maintenance
Formerly Finnish Aircraft Maintenance operates as Flybe Finland Maintenance since April 2013. It provides maintenance services for regional aircraft, in particular ATR (aircraft manufacturer) at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport.
References
- ↑ "Finland's Flybe. Nordic rebrands as Nordic Regional Airlines". ch-aviation.com. 21 June 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
- 1 2 3 "New Nordic carrier to emerge from Flybe-Finnair tie-up". Flightglobal.com. 1 July 2011. Archived from the original on 4 July 2011. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
- 1 2 3 "Flybe, Finnair To Acquire A Nordic Airline". Aviation Week. 1 July 2011. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
- ↑ "UPDATE 2-Finnair, Flybe to buy Finnish regional carrier". Reuters UK. 1 July 2011. Archived from the original on 4 July 2011. Retrieved 4 July 2011.
- ↑ "Flybe Nordic Starts Operating 30 October". Scandasia.com. 25 August 2011. Archived from the original on 25 August 2011. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
- ↑ Lewin, Joel (12 November 2014). "Flybe agrees to sell Finnish division for €1". Financial Times. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
- ↑ "Finnish regulator okays Flybe. Nordic's sell off". Ch-aviation. 4 February 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
- ↑ "Flybe Finland to fly under the Finnair code starting on May 1". World Airline News. 5 March 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
- ↑ "Flybe Finland to rebrand as Nordic Regional Airlines in May". Air Transport World. 22 April 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 http://www.flybe.com/franchises-codeshares/codeshares/codeshares.htm
- ↑ "Flybe Annual Report 2014" (PDF). Flybe Group plc. 11 June 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
- ↑ "Flybe Finland gave up the ATR42-machines (in Finnish)". Lentoposti. 19 June 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
- ↑ "Finnair leases ATR to Flybe Nordic (now Nordic Regional Airlines)". Retrieved 2015-09-04.
- ↑ "Fast-growing Flybe Finland establishes new business unit". Invest in EU. 5 April 2013. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Flybe Nordic. |
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