146-752: 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. The airline
292-678: A per-capita basis, Norway is the world's largest producer of oil and natural gas outside of the Middle East. The country has the fourth- and eighth-highest per-capita income in the world on the World Bank 's and IMF 's list, respectively. It has the world's largest sovereign wealth fund , with a value of US$ 1.3 trillion. Norway has two official names: Norge in Bokmål and Noreg in Nynorsk . The English name Norway comes from
438-577: A price war . The airline started negotiating airline alliance with larger haulers, but turned both those and a merger proposal with SAS down. The Norwegian airline market was deregulated on 1 April 1994, as the third country in Europe. Both Braathens SAFE and SAS had been cross-subsidizing their routes as part of the concession agreements, and Braathens SAFE was losing money on the Haugesund–Bergen route and flights to Røros. A three-year wage agreement
584-590: A resistance movement which incorporated civil disobedience and armed resistance including the destruction of Norsk Hydro 's heavy water plant and stockpile of heavy water at Vemork , which crippled the German nuclear programme . More important to the Allied war effort, however, was the role of the Norwegian Merchant Marine , the fourth-largest merchant marine fleet in the world. It was led by
730-407: A unitary state with a constitutional monarchy , Norway divides state power between the parliament , the cabinet , and the supreme court , as determined by the 1814 constitution . Norway has both administrative and political subdivisions on two levels: counties and municipalities . The Sámi people have a certain amount of self-determination and influence over traditional territories through
876-478: A 30-aircraft order which Guthrie had cancelled. The Standard VC10 had higher operating costs than the 707, largely due to BOAC's requirement at the design stage for the aircraft to have excellent hot and high performance for Commonwealth (African/Asian) routes, but the larger Super VC10 was a success with American passengers on the North Atlantic and was profitable. The next major order of Boeing aircraft
1022-434: A better seat pitch . Behind the curtain was the 'Back' category, which had no in-flight meals or newspapers and a smaller pitch. However, a meal with coffee and soft drink could be purchased for NOK 45. Back tickets were sold with a discount, but had to be bought at least seven days before travel, and the traveller had to be away over a weekend. There were also some discounted Best tickets, but these never cost as little as
1168-521: A central role in the peaceful separation of Norway from Sweden on 7 June 1905. A national referendum confirmed the people's preference for a monarchy over a republic. However, no Norwegian could legitimately claim the throne, since none of Norway's noble families could claim royal descent . The government then offered the throne of Norway to Prince Carl of Denmark, a prince of the Dano-German royal house of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and
1314-405: A conservative society. Life in Norway (especially economic life) was "dominated by the aristocracy of professional men who filled most of the important posts in the central government". There was no strong bourgeois class to demand a breakdown of this aristocratic control. Thus, even while revolution swept over most of the countries of Europe in 1848, Norway was largely unaffected. Marcus Thrane
1460-665: A distant relative of Norway's medieval kings. Following the plebiscite, he was unanimously elected king by the Norwegian Parliament ; he took the name Haakon VII . Throughout the First World War , Norway remained neutral; however, diplomatic pressure from the British government meant that it heavily favoured the Allies . During the war, Norway exported fish to both Germany and Britain, until an ultimatum from
1606-457: A distinct national character. The movement covered all branches of culture, including literature ( Henrik Wergeland , Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson , Peter Christen Asbjørnsen , Jørgen Moe ), painting ( Hans Gude , Adolph Tidemand ), music ( Edvard Grieg ), and even language policy, where attempts to define a native written language for Norway led to today's two official written forms for Norwegian: Bokmål and Nynorsk . King Charles III John came to
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#17327906594851752-423: A double-deck non-stop eastbound service from New York City to London Airport (later Heathrow). However, because of the prevailing westerly winds, the westbound flights needed re-fuelling at Shannon and Gander before reaching New York. Another four Stratocruisers were taken over from a frustrated SAS order and seven were bought secondhand in the mid-1950s. The Handley Page Hermes and Canadair DC-4M Argonaut joined
1898-461: A loss to force new entrants out of the market. SAS and Braathens split all the routes between them on 2 April 2002. Braathens withdrew from the Oslo to Trondheim, Bergen and Stavanger routes, but took over most flights to Northern Norway. On 24 April 2002, SAS announced that all handling services operated by Braathens would be taken over by SAS Ground Services . All SAS employees would be prioritized in
2044-443: A network of direct routes connected many of these airports with each other. In Sweden, Braahtens operated flights from Stockholm to Luleå, Umeå, Sundsvall, Jönköping and Halmstad. From Oslo, international services were provided to Malmö, Stockholm, Billund, Newcastle, London, Jersey, Nice and Rome, and from 2000 to Barcelona, Alicante and Málaga. Service were flown from several Norwegian cities to Amsterdam. Prior to 1998, Braathens had
2190-652: A number of airlifts including but not limited to the Berlin Airlift in 1948, Abadan Air lift as part of the Abadan Crisis in June 1951, and as part of an airlift of Hungarian refugees from Vienna to London as a response to the Hungarian Revolution in 1957. Such a political outlook was also an important narrative in the context of Britain’s colonies and the wider Commonwealth . Described in
2336-506: A one-class service; the service included a complimentary in-flight meal and discounted tickets were available with restrictions. Starting 23 March 1998, the airline changed its corporate identity to 'Braathens' and introduced a two-class system onboard its planes. Passengers paying full price were seated in the 'Best' category at the front of the plane, making up about 70 percent of the capacity. Best customers received complimentary coffee and meals with non-disposable cutlery, free newspapers and
2482-583: A population of 5.5 million as of 2024. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of Norway. Bouvet Island , located in the Subantarctic , is a dependency , and not a part of the Kingdom; Norway also claims the Antarctic territories of Peter I Island and Queen Maud Land . The capital and largest city in Norway is Oslo . Norway has
2628-529: A response to SAS founding the Star Alliance along with among others Lufthansa . On 23 March 1998, Braathens SAFE changed its name and corporate identity to Braathens. It introduced a new livery with a blue bottom, and replaced the Norwegian flag on the tail with an abstract, silver wing, that became the company's new logo. At the same time, a two-class configuration was introduced—Best and Back—with
2774-537: A round trip time of nine to ten days, including overnighting in Cairo, Karachi and Bangkok, and with technical revision of the plane in Hong Kong. In 1947, Braathens SAFE flew twenty-five trips to Hong Kong, five to New York City and one to Johannesburg . Douglas DC-3 aircraft were introduced the same year for shorter charters. The following year, Braathens SAFE started the first trial flights to South America. By 1948
2920-634: A small group had left Norway following their king to Britain. This group included 13 ships, five aircraft, and 500 men from the Royal Norwegian Navy. By the end of the war, the force had grown to 58 ships and 7,500 men in service in the Royal Norwegian Navy, 5 squadrons of aircraft in the newly formed Norwegian Air Force, and land forces including the Norwegian Independent Company 1 and 5 Troop as well as No. 10 Commandos . During German occupation , Norwegians built
3066-405: A staunch opponent to the concession system and an avid proponent of free competition in the airline industry. With a deregulation around the corner, the airline changed stance and warned against the consequences of a free market. In contrast, SAS embraced the new system. Braathens SAFE's main concern was that their high debt incurred after the purchase of the new aircraft would make them illiquid in
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#17327906594853212-653: A total area of 385,207 square kilometres (148,729 sq mi). The country shares a long eastern border with Sweden , and is bordered by Finland and Russia to the northeast. Norway has an extensive coastline facing the Skagerrak strait, the North Atlantic Ocean, and the Barents Sea . The unified kingdom of Norway was established in 872 as a merger of petty kingdoms and has existed continuously for 1,151–1,152 years. From 1537 to 1814, Norway
3358-462: A unified 737-200 fleet, reducing operating costs. Six more 737-200 were delivered in 1986. On 1 June 1989, Erik G. Braathen , son of Bjørn G., took over as CEO at the age of 34. With the launch of the Boeing 737 Classic range, Braathens took delivery of the 156-seat 737-400 and the 124-seat 737-500, both featuring glass cockpits . The larger model was mostly used for charter services, while the smaller
3504-686: A union between the two countries. In 1397, under Margaret I , the Kalmar Union was created between the three Scandinavian countries. She waged war against the Germans, resulting in a trade blockade and higher taxation on Norwegian goods, which led to a rebellion . However, the Norwegian Council of State was too weak to pull out of the union. Margaret pursued a centralising policy which inevitably favoured Denmark because of its greater population. Margaret also granted trade privileges to
3650-634: A united Norway. Harald's realm was mainly a South Norwegian coastal state. Fairhair ruled with a strong hand and according to the sagas, many Norwegians left the country to live in Iceland, the Faroe Islands , Greenland , and parts of Britain and Ireland. Haakon I the Good was Norway's first Christian king, in the mid-10th century, though his attempt to introduce the religion was rejected. Norse traditions were replaced slowly by Christian ones in
3796-509: A very basic passenger conversion. This was the first sustained North Atlantic landplane service. By September 1944 BOAC had made 1,000 transatlantic crossings. In late 1942, the new hard-surface airport at Lisbon permitted the use of civil registered Liberators to North and West Africa and Egypt. Arguably, BOAC's most famous wartime route was the ' Ball-bearing Run ' from Leuchars to Stockholm ( Bromma ) in neutral Sweden . Initially flown with Lockheed 14s and Lockheed Hudson transports,
3942-585: A view to encourage further expansion and exploitation of regional resources. BOAC held both formal and informal interests in a number of associated enterprises operating in several parts of the British Commonwealth . In 1957, these associated organisations were brought under a subsidiary company called BOAC Associated Companies Limited. These included Aden Airways , Bahamas Airways, Fiji Airways , Ghana Airways , Gulf Aviation and Nigeria Airways . By 1960, BOAC Associated Companies Limited
4088-454: Is little archaeological evidence dating to the early Iron Age (the last 500 years BC). The dead were cremated, and their graves contained few goods. During the first four centuries AD, the people of Norway were in contact with Roman-occupied Gaul ; about 70 Roman bronze cauldrons, often used as burial urns, have been found. Contact with countries farther south brought a knowledge of runes ; the oldest known Norwegian runic inscription dates from
4234-515: The Flag of Norway on the tail. Both Braathens and SAS lost more than 1 billion Norwegian krone (NOK) in 1999, totaling the cost of the price war between the three airlines to exceed NOK 3 billion. Arne A. Jensen took over as CEO on 23 July 1999. In February 1999, Braathens merged the Swedish division with Malmö Aviation, to create Braathens Malmö Aviation. At the same time, the airline removed
4380-527: The German invasion of France . King Haakon and the Norwegian government escaped to Rotherhithe in London. Throughout the war they sent radio speeches and supported clandestine military actions against the Germans. On the day of the invasion, the leader of the small National-Socialist party Nasjonal Samling , Vidkun Quisling , tried to seize power, but was forced by the German occupiers to step aside. Real power
4526-485: The Labour Party held an absolute majority in the parliament. The government, led by prime minister Einar Gerhardsen , embarked on a programme inspired by Keynesian economics , emphasising state financed industrialisation and co-operation between trade unions and employers' organisations . Many measures of state control of the economy imposed during the war were continued, although the rationing of dairy products
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4672-746: The Mediterranean route from Lisbon or Gibraltar to Egypt via Malta risked enemy attack, so the long West Africa route had to be employed (over-water via Lisbon, Bathurst , Freetown , Lagos ), then by landplane to Khartoum on the Horseshoe Route. The Empire routes had contained landplane sectors, but the Armstrong Whitworth Ensign and de Havilland Albatross ordered to replace the Handley Page HP.42 'Heracles' biplanes had proved disappointing, leaving
4818-483: The Nordic welfare model with universal health care and a comprehensive social security system, and its values are rooted in egalitarian ideals. The Norwegian state has large ownership positions in key industrial sectors, having extensive reserves of petroleum, natural gas, minerals, lumber, seafood, and fresh water. The petroleum industry accounts for around a quarter of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). On
4964-593: The Old English word Norþweg mentioned in 880, meaning "northern way" or "way leading to the north", which is how the Anglo-Saxons referred to the coastline of Atlantic Norway. The Anglo-Saxons of Britain also referred to the kingdom of Norway in 880 as Norðmanna land . There is some disagreement about whether the native name of Norway originally had the same etymology as the English form. According to
5110-730: The Short Empire flying boats as the backbone of the wartime fleet. (Only a handful of these had long range tanks but many were eventually upgraded with larger tankage and operated at overload weights.) The Empire flying-boats were at their limit on the 1,900-mile Lisbon-Bathurst sector. Refuelling at Las Palmas in the Canary Islands was permitted by Spain for some Empire flying-boat flights in 1940 and 1941. In 1941 longer range Consolidated Catalinas , Boeing 314 As (and later converted Short Sunderlands ) were introduced to guarantee non-stop Lisbon to Bathurst sectors (thus eliminating
5256-685: The Speedbird symbol and/or the Union Flag . BOAC inherited Imperial Airways' flying boat services to British colonies in Africa and Asia, but with the wartime loss of the route over Italy and France to Cairo these were replaced by the expatriate ' Horseshoe Route ', with Cairo as a hub, and Sydney and Durban as end destinations. Linking Britain to the Horseshoe Route taxed the resources of BOAC. Although Spain denied access, Portugal welcomed BOAC's civilian aircraft at Lisbon . However,
5402-532: The Syttende mai (Seventeenth of May) holiday. Norwegian opposition to the decision to link Norway with Sweden caused the Norwegian–Swedish War to break out as Sweden tried to subdue Norway by military means. As Sweden's military was not strong enough to defeat the Norwegian forces outright, and Norway's treasury was not large enough to support a protracted war, and as British and Russian navies blockaded
5548-1322: The Sámi Parliament and the Finnmark Act . Norway maintains close ties with the European Union and the United States . Norway is a founding member of the United Nations , NATO , the European Free Trade Association , the Council of Europe , the Antarctic Treaty , and the Nordic Council ; a member of the European Economic Area , the WTO , and the OECD ; and a part of the Schengen Area . The Norwegian dialects share mutual intelligibility with Danish and Swedish . Norway maintains
5694-431: The de Havilland Heron and British Aerospace 146 . The airline's most-operated aircraft is the Boeing 737-200 , of which it had 20. Braathens has operated five variants of the 737, totaling 64 aircraft. From the establishment, Braathens SAFE's aircraft livery had a thick red and thinner white and blue cheatline , with the Flag of Norway on the vertical stabilizer . With only slight modifications, this general design
5840-587: The introduction of Protestantism in 1536, the archbishopric in Trondheim was dissolved; Norway lost its independence and effectually became a colony of Denmark. The Church's incomes and possessions were instead redirected to the court in Copenhagen. Norway lost the steady stream of pilgrims to the relics of St. Olav at the Nidaros shrine, and with them, much of the contact with cultural and economic life in
5986-474: The union with Sweden . Under this arrangement, Norway kept its liberal constitution and its own independent institutions, though it shared a monarch and foreign policy with Sweden. Following the recession caused by the Napoleonic Wars , economic development of Norway remained slow until 1830. This period also saw the rise of Norwegian romantic nationalism , as Norwegians sought to define and express
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6132-701: The 'Best' and 'Back' scheme on domestic Swedish flights. In November, Braathens terminated all services in Sweden that were inherited from Transwede. The following two years saw a large increase in ticket prices and a decrease of flights. Several domestic and international routes were cut in 2001, but introduced new international services to leisure destinations. The SAS Group and Braathens announced on 21 May 2001 that KLM and Braganza had agreed to sell their 69 percent stake in Braathens for NOK 800 million to SAS— putting Braathens' value at NOK 1.1 billion. Because
6278-592: The AW Ensigns, were due to be withdrawn. The corporation's aircraft, bases and personnel were scattered around the world, and it took a decade to reorganise it into an efficient unit at Heathrow . In 1943, the Brabazon Committee had laid down a set of civil aircraft transport types for the British aircraft industry to produce, but these were to be several years in coming, and particularly in the case of
6424-621: The BOAC fleet between 1949 and 1950, replacing the last of the non-pressurised types on passenger services. When service entry of the Bristol Britannia was delayed in late 1956, BOAC was permitted to purchase ten new Douglas DC-7 Cs. These long-range aircraft enabled BOAC to operate non-stop westbound flights from London and Manchester to New York and other US East Coast destinations, in competition with DC-7Cs of Pan Am and Lockheed Super Constellations of Trans World Airlines (TWA). This
6570-574: The Back tickets. The 'Best' and 'Back' service was highly criticized by analysts and customers. Braathens SAFE had a strong image as the people's airline, in contrast to SAS' business image. Braathens also drew goodwill from being Norwegian-owned and that it displayed the Flag of Norway on the tailplane. Prior to the rebranding, no airline in Norway had ever operated a two-class service on domestic flights. Professor of Sociology Per Morten Schiefloe commented that
6716-547: The British government and anti-German sentiments as a result of German submarines targeting Norwegian merchantmen led to a termination of trade with Germany. 436 Norwegian merchantmen were sunk by the Kaiserliche Marine , with 1,150 Norwegian sailors killed. Norway once more proclaimed its neutrality during the Second World War , but was invaded by German forces on 9 April 1940. Although Norway
6862-544: The DC-3 and Herons were turboprops with pressurized cabins . The first aircraft was delivered in 1958 and the model was put into service on the main routes. Service to Hamar, Farsund and Tønsberg stopped because their runways were too short. Braathens started charter flights to Longyearbyen in 1959, landing on an improvised snow runway. Scheduled service between Oslo via Sandefjord Airport, Torp to Aalborg Airport in Denmark
7008-693: The Danish kingdom was on the losing side in 1814, it was forced by the Treaty of Kiel to cede Norway to Sweden, while the old Norwegian provinces of Iceland, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands remained with the Danish crown. Norway took this opportunity to declare independence, adopted a constitution based on American and French models, and elected the Crown Prince of Denmark and Norway, Christian Frederick , as king on 17 May 1814 – celebrated as
7154-510: The German-controlled Skagerrak direct route. Between 1939 and 1945 6,000 passengers were transported by BOAC between Stockholm and Great Britain. At the end of the war, BOAC's fleet consisted of Lockheed Lodestars, lend-lease Douglas DC-3s , Liberators, converted Sunderlands, and the first Avro Lancastrians , Avro Yorks , and Handley Page Haltons . The Short Empire, Short S.26 and Boeing 314A flying boats, plus
7300-569: The Hanseatic merchants of Lübeck in Bergen in return for recognition of her rule, and these hurt the Norwegian economy. The Hanseatic merchants formed a state within a state in Bergen for generations. The " Victual Brothers " launched three devastating pirate raids on the port (the last in 1427). Norway slipped ever more to the background under the Oldenburg dynasty (established 1448). There
7446-556: The January 1959 edition of the BOAC in-house magazine, the BOAC Review , an article described that “BOAC is often able to earn the goodwill of various communities by doing some slight service, perhaps unconnected with air travel[…] 14 dolls in traditional costume for Johannesburg; 30 lbs. of haggis for Nassau and smaller quantities for Singapore and Kuala Lumpur”. Whilst these suggest charitable motives, often these are seen alongside
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#17327906594857592-472: The London area to Bristol . On 1 April 1940, BOAC started operations as a single company. Following the Fall of France (22 June 1940), BOAC aircraft kept wartime Britain connected with its colonies and the allied world, often under enemy fire, and initially with desperate shortages of long-range aircraft. During the war, the airline was sometimes loosely referred to as 'British Airways', and aircraft and equipment were marked with combinations of that title and/or
7738-549: The North Atlantic pre-war by Imperial Airways Empire flying-boats with improved fuel capacity, some using in flight refuelling, culminating in a series of mail/courier flights made by BOAC's Clare and Clyde to LaGuardia in camouflage during the Battle of Britain . These were BOAC's first New York services. In 1941, BOAC was tasked with operating a 'Return Ferry Service' from Prestwick to Montreal to reposition ferry pilots who had flown American-built bombers from Canada, and they were provided with RAF Consolidated Liberators with
7884-416: The Norwegian coast, the belligerents were forced to negotiate the Convention of Moss . Christian Frederik abdicated the Norwegian throne and authorised the Parliament of Norway to make the necessary constitutional amendments to allow for the personal union that Norway was forced to accept. On 4 November 1814, the Parliament (Storting) elected Charles XIII of Sweden as king of Norway, thereby establishing
8030-445: The Norwegian shipping company Nortraship under the Allies throughout the war and took part in every war operation from the evacuation of Dunkirk to the Normandy landings . Every December Norway gives a Christmas tree to the United Kingdom as thanks for the British assistance during the war. Svalbard was not occupied by German troops, but Germany secretly established a meteorological station there in 1944. From 1945 to 1962,
8176-406: The Shetland Islands, BOAC presented itself as a national service aware of its wider responsibilities” BOAC were keen to promote their sense of wider obligation to the general public and wider world. In 1948, BOAC’s PR department published Operation India. A World's Record Air-Lift , referencing BOAC’s support in the events of the Partition of India. Throughout the years, BOAC would participate in
8322-406: The Treasury blocked the idea, and an agreement was reached instead to allow BEA to serve Ankara in Turkey , and in return to leave all routes east and south of Cyprus to BOAC. Paradoxically, through its effective control of Cyprus Airways , BEA was able to continue to serve destinations ceded to BOAC, including Beirut and Cairo by using Cyprus Airways as its proxy. However, it was only following
8468-432: The U.S.S.R. " references a flight from Miami Beach aboard a BOAC aircraft. In the song Montego Bay by Bobby Bloom , the first line is "Vernon will meet me when the BOAC lands". It is referenced in the James Tiptree Jr. story "The Last Flight of Dr. Ain." Multiple references throughout the Netflix TV Series The Crown . In The Sopranos , Season 6 Episode 19 “The Second Coming," Paulie Walnuts reminisces that he
8614-481: The airline had weekly trips to the Far East. The partially state-owned Norwegian Air Lines (DNL) was granted a monopoly on all domestic and international flights during the late 1940s. They started the Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) cooperation and stated that they would start a route to the Far East. Braathens SAFE's charters were by 1948 so regular that a concession would be needed. SAS demanded preferential treatment, but Braathens SAFE threatened to flag out and
8760-419: The airline has served 53 airports serving 50 cities. Of these, 25 airports serving 23 cities were in Norway and 6 destinations and cities in Sweden. Braathens had provided international services to 24 airports serving 22 cities in 17 countries. Seven of these cities are in Asia, the rest in Europe. In addition, Braathens has served numerous destinations as both regular and ad-hoc charter. Braathens SAFE's main base
8906-444: The airline market was introduced. Braathens followed up by listing itself on the Oslo Stock Exchange , joining an alliance with Dutch airline KLM and expanding its operations to Sweden through purchasing Transwede and Malmö Aviation . The 1998 opening of Gardermoen resulted in an intense price war with SAS and Color Air , from which Braathens never recovered financially. Braathens was controlled by Braganza until 2001, when it
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#17327906594859052-400: The ball-bearings is debatable, but these night flights were an important diplomatic gesture of support for neutral Sweden which had two DC-3s shot down on its own service to Britain. Other types used to Sweden included Lockheed Lodestars , Consolidated Liberators, and the sole Curtiss CW-20 (C-46 prototype) which BOAC had purchased; these types had more payload, and some had the range to avoid
9198-457: The bankruptcy of West Norway Airlines in 1957 and the opening of Ålesund Airport, Vigra the following year, concessions were reshuffled, and Braathens was granted a monopoly on services to Ålesund and between Trondheim and Bergen, while it and SAS would compete on services between Oslo and Stavanger, Kristiansand and Trondheim. Braathens SAFE was the second airline to take delivery of the Fokker F-27 Friendship . The Friendships, which replaced
9344-474: The business model was unsuccessful as new customer groups had little willingness to pay. The company was faced with not being able to charter out the plane because of the lower number of seats, but could not put in the extra seats because the aircraft were also used for scheduled flights. As a result, the two aircraft were sold in 1986, and the airline's Swedish charter operations closed in 1988. The four remaining F-28s were also sold in 1986, giving Braathens SAFE
9490-422: The charter market. Multilateral agreements allowed any Scandinavian airline to fly charter services from any of the three Scandinavian countries to Spain; while this allowed Braathens SAFE to enter the Swedish and Danish charter market, it increased competition on their home turf. Braathens SAFE ordered three Boeing 737-200 jets in 1965, which were intended to rationalize charter operations. The shorter -100 model
9636-536: The coast, where the huge ice shelf of the last ice age first melted between 11,000 and 8000 BC. The oldest finds are stone tools dating from 9500 to 6000 BC, discovered in Finnmark ( Komsa culture ) in the north and Rogaland ( Fosna culture ) in the southwest. Theories about the two cultures being separate were deemed obsolete in the 1970s. Between 3000 and 2500 BC, new settlers ( Corded Ware culture ) arrived in eastern Norway . They were Indo-European farmers who grew grain and kept livestock, and gradually replaced
9782-428: The control of Queen Margaret when the country entered into the Kalmar Union . After Sweden broke out of the Kalmar Union in 1521, Norway tried to follow suit, but the subsequent rebellion was defeated, and Norway remained in a union with Denmark until 1814. This period was by some referred to as the "400-Year Night", since all of the kingdom's intellectual and administrative power was centred in Copenhagen . With
9928-456: The creation of Israel. The first Braathens SAFE flight was to the Far East started on 24 February from Oslo, with landings at Amsterdam , Marseille , Cairo , Basra , Karachi , Calcutta and Bangkok before Hong Kong, where Norske Skyfarer landed on 8 March. Total flight time was 46 hours. The only other services to the Far East from Europe were operated by KLM and British Overseas Airways Corporation . The regular services could be done with
10074-489: The curtain depending on the number of passengers on each class. Planes were sometimes delayed for hours, particularly in the beginning of the service, due to the increased work load on the handling and cabin crew. Braathens launched its frequent-flyer program as Bracard in 1985, and rebranded it as Wings in 1999. The membership had three tiers: gold, silver and blue. Until 1997, Braathens had agreements with Finnair and British Airways , where Bracard members received miles on
10220-476: The death of Haakon in 1379, his 10-year-old son Olaf IV acceded to the throne. As Olaf had already been elected to the throne of Denmark in 1376, Denmark and Norway entered a personal union . Olaf's mother and Haakon's widow, Queen Margaret, managed the foreign affairs of Denmark and Norway during Olaf's minority. Margaret was on the verge of achieving a union of Sweden with Denmark and Norway when Olaf IV suddenly died. Denmark made Margaret temporary ruler on
10366-434: The death of Olaf. On 2 February 1388, Norway followed suit and crowned Margaret. Queen Margaret knew that her power would be more secure if she were able to find a king to rule in her place. She settled on Eric of Pomerania , grandson of her sister. Thus at an all-Scandinavian meeting held at Kalmar, Erik of Pomerania was crowned king of all three Scandinavian countries, bringing the thrones of Norway, Denmark, and Sweden under
10512-490: The economy, because of the loans the Hansa had made to the royals and the large debt the kings were carrying. The League's monopolistic control over the economy of Norway put pressure on all classes, especially the peasantry, to the degree that no real burgher class existed in Norway. From the 1040s to 1130, the country was at peace. In 1130, the civil war era broke out on the basis of unclear succession laws , which allowed
10658-487: The efforts made by Britain in the implementation of the Colonial Development and Welfare Acts which were often designed to improve the export industries of colonies at the expense of other more pressing needs like food and healthcare. As Smith argues, BOAC were prominent promoters of the colonial development agenda, with advertisements often highlighted the positive impact of such policies in Africa often with
10804-625: The end of the century. Throughout the High Middle Ages , the king established Norway as a sovereign state with a central administration and local representatives. In 1349, the Black Death spread to Norway and within a year killed a third of the population. Later plagues reduced the population to half the starting point by 1400. Many communities were entirely wiped out, resulting in an abundance of land, allowing farmers to switch to more animal husbandry . The reduction in taxes weakened
10950-546: The expense of Sweden and Russia. The famine of 1695–1696 killed roughly 10% of Norway's population. The harvest failed in Scandinavia at least nine times between 1740 and 1800, with great loss of life. After Denmark–Norway was attacked by the United Kingdom at the 1807 Battle of Copenhagen , it entered into an alliance with Napoleon , with the war leading to dire conditions and mass starvation in 1812. As
11096-573: The flight of the swept-wing Boeing 367–80 (707 prototype) in 1954. In 1953 Vickers had started building the swept wing VC-7/V-1000 with Rolls-Royce Conway turbofan engines, but BOAC short-sightedly decided the Britannia and Comet 4 would be adequate for its purposes, and when the military version of the V-1000 was cancelled in 1955 the 75% complete prototype was scrapped. In October 1956 BOAC ordered 15 Boeing 707s with Conway engines (briefly
11242-459: The government gave them a concession that lasted until 1954, on condition they establish a technical base at Stavanger Airport, Sola . The airline chose at the same time to move its main base from Gardermoen to Oslo Airport, Fornebu. The SAS cooperation resulted in a full merger from 1951, after a merger proposal from Braathens SAFE had been rejected. Braathens SAFE made proposals to expand its routes to New York and Tokyo , but both were rejected by
11388-575: The government. The SAS merger bound the government to issue the Far East concession to SAS, and Braathens lost their international service rights then. Braathens SAFE started cooperating with Icelandic Loftleidir , who held the rights to fly to North America via Iceland. This involved Braathens leasing personnel and aircraft to Loftleidir and profit sharing on the route, in an agreement which lasted until 1961. Charter flights to Europe using Douglas DC-6 aircraft started in 1950. The airline applied for and
11534-442: The helicopter airline signed an agreement to fly for British Petroleum to Ula and Gyda . Braathens Helikopter and Helikopter Service announced on 1 October 1993 that the two companies would merge from 1 January 1994. The deregulation process, which would eliminate the need for concessions for routes, was driven by Norway's application for membership of the European Union . Since the airline's conception, Braathens SAFE had been
11680-553: The hunting-fishing population of the west coast. From about 1500 BC, bronze was gradually introduced. Burial cairns built close to the sea as far north as Harstad and also inland in the south are characteristic of this period, with rock carving motifs that differ from those of the Stone Age , depicting ships resembling the Hjortspring boat , while large stone burial monuments known as stone ships were also erected. There
11826-634: The incumbent, Helikopter Service , applying for all of Braathens SAFE's western Norway routes. Neither application was successful. Busy Bee was contracted in 1984 to connect Farsund, Haugesund Airport, Karmøy , Bergen and Stavanger, as well as operate from Sandefjord Airport, Torp . In an attempt to remain competitive in the charter market from Oslo, Gothenburg and Stockholm , the airline ordered two Boeing 767-200 in 1980. They were configured with 242 seats, fewer than for most charter airlines, which typically had 273. The aircraft were delivered in 1984. Launched as "First Business Class" to charter travelers,
11972-485: The king's position, and many aristocrats lost the basis for their surplus. High tithes to church made it increasingly powerful and the archbishop became a member of the Council of State . The Hanseatic League took control over Norwegian trade during the 14th century and established a trading centre in Bergen . In 1380, Olaf Haakonsson inherited both the Norwegian (as Olaf IV) and Danish thrones (as Olaf II), creating
12118-419: The king's sons to rule jointly. The Archdiocese of Nidaros was created in 1152 and attempted to control the appointment of kings. The church inevitably had to take sides in the conflicts. The wars ended in 1217 with the appointment of Håkon IV Håkonsson , who introduced clear laws of succession. From 1000 to 1300, the population increased from 150,000 to 400,000, resulting both in more land being cleared and
12264-437: The kings of Sweden and of Denmark were elected to the throne by their respective nobles. Thus Sweden and Norway were united under King Magnus VII. In 1349, the Black Death killed between 50% and 60% of Norway's population and led to a period of social and economic decline. Although the death rate was comparable with the rest of Europe, economic recovery took much longer because of the small, scattered population. Even before
12410-516: The late 10th and early 11th centuries. This is largely attributed to the missionary kings Olaf I Tryggvasson and Olaf II Haraldsson (St. Olaf). Olaf Tryggvasson conducted raids in England, including attacking London. Arriving back in Norway in 995, Olaf landed in Moster where he built a church which became the first Christian church in Norway. From Moster, Olaf sailed north to Trondheim where he
12556-430: The latter being offered to discounted ticket-holders. SAS did not follow the same policy, and offered its discounted customers to travel in the same class as Braathens', including complimentary service. Braathens bought Malmö Aviation on 17 August 1998, which operated eleven British Aerospace 146 jets between Stockholm-Bromma Airport , Göteborg Landvetter Airport , Malmö Airport and London City Airport . Color Air
12702-596: The main BOAC fleet at peak demand, and in a reciprocal arrangement BOAC would provide capacity to BOAC-Cunard on some operations when it had a shortfall. The effect of this arrangement was to remove competition on western routes. The operation was dissolved in 1966. The following is an incomplete list of destinations historically served by BOAC: During the time of the airline's existence, BOAC operated these aircraft: Dates above are for service with BOAC or its forerunners; those still in service in 1974 subsequently passed to British Airways. The Beatles song " Back in
12848-519: The most economical commercial engine option). They entered service in 1960. (The British airworthiness authorities insisted on tail-fin modifications which Boeing made available to all 707 users.) Sir Giles Guthrie , who took charge of BOAC in 1964, preferred Boeing aircraft for economic reasons, and indeed BOAC began turning a profit in the late 1960s. After a row in Parliament the government instructed BOAC to purchase 17 Vickers VC10 aircraft from
12994-611: The national flag-carrying airline in the broadest sense. Early publicity emphasised its role in alleviating famines and flooding, in the supply of medicines and in the transportation of athletes and explorers. More than this, BOAC strove to embed itself in the cultural fabric of the nation. By taking pressurised oxygen canisters to climbers on Everest, transporting a 7,000 year-old skill from the British School in Jerusalem or flying astronomers as close as possible to an eclipse over
13140-584: The need to refuel at Las Palmas). BOAC's flying-boat base for Britain was shifted from Southampton to Poole , Dorset , but many flights used Foynes in Ireland, reached by shuttle flight from Whitchurch. Use of Foynes reduced the chance of enemy interception or friendly fire incidents over the English Channel . BOAC had large bases at Durban , Asmara , Alexandria and a pilots' school at Soroti , Uganda . Experimental flights had been made across
13286-539: The next quarter century. The Civil Aviation Act 1971 merged BOAC and BEA, effective 31 March 1974, forming today's British Airways . On 24 November 1939, BOAC was created by the British Overseas Airways Act 1939 to become the British state airline, formed from the merger of Imperial Airways and British Airways Ltd . The companies had been operating together since war was declared on 3 September 1939, when their operations were evacuated from
13432-571: The ninth century when heading for the Faroe Islands , and eventually came across Vinland , known today as Newfoundland , in Canada. The Vikings from Norway were most active in the northern and western British Isles and eastern North America isles . According to tradition, Harald Fairhair unified them into one in 872 after the Battle of Hafrsfjord in Stavanger , thus becoming the first king of
13578-503: The operating licence of Braathens, including the IATA and ICAO code, and callsign . From 1 June 2007, SAS Braathens was rebranded to Scandinavian Airlines, making it identical to the branding in Sweden and Denmark, although it remains a separate limited company named SAS Norge AS. The airline operated 118 aircraft of 15 different models. The airline has operated at least three models each from Douglas , Fokker and Boeing , in addition to
13724-474: The order of six 134-seat Boeing 737-700 , while Transwede started replacing its Fokker 100s with 737s. Transwede changed its name to Braathens Sverige later that year. From 1998 Braathens SAFE started a strategic partnership with Dutch airline KLM , with KLM purchasing thirty percent of Braathens SAFE and Braathens SAFE taking over most of KLM's routes between Norway and Amsterdam. London services were moved to London Stansted Airport . The KLM agreement came as
13870-655: The partners flights. After the partnership with KLM was introduced, Wings-members received miles with KLM , Northwest Airlines , Continental Airlines and Alitalia . Norway in Europe (green and dark grey) Norway ( Bokmål : Norge , Nynorsk : Noreg ), officially the Kingdom of Norway , is a Nordic country in Northern Europe , situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula with
14016-414: The passengers switch planes in Trondheim. Braathens signed agreements with many of Norway's large companies in 1995 in exchange for large discounts. The airline bought Transwede Airways in 1996, the second-largest domestic airline in Sweden. The goal was to integrate the networks, starting on 18 June with a new service between the two capital cities, one of SAS' most profitable. Braathens announced in 1997
14162-440: The plague, the population was only about 500,000. After the plague, many farms lay idle while the population slowly increased. However, the few surviving farms' tenants found their bargaining positions with their landlords greatly strengthened. King Magnus VII ruled Norway until 1350, when his son, Haakon, was placed on the throne as Haakon VI . In 1363, Haakon married Margaret , daughter of King Valdemar IV of Denmark . Upon
14308-488: The press, British manufacturers and the unions accused BOAC management of only wanting American aircraft. Whilst the major world airlines abandoned flying-boats at the end of WWII, BOAC continued with theirs until 1950, and even introduced the new Short Solent on the leisurely Nile route to South Africa. In 1948, the unpressurised Yorks were still operating passenger services as far afield as Nairobi (Kenya), Accra (Gold Coast, later Ghana), Delhi and Calcutta (India), and
14454-607: The rationalization process, and 800 Braathens employees were laid off. Three hundred Braathens' employees were offered jobs with SAS Ground Services, but these lost their seniority . No employees in SAS lost their jobs. The issue ended in the courts, with the Supreme Court reinstating seniority in 2006. SAS announced on 10 March 2004 that SAS and Braathens would in May be merged into a single company, SAS Braathens . The company took over
14600-685: The recommendations of the 1969 Edwards Report that a new British Airways Board, combining BEA and BOAC, was constituted on 1 April 1972. This event coincided with the establishment of the Civil Aviation Authority , the UK's new, unified regulator for the air transport industry. BOAC would have become one of the first operators of the Concorde , had it not merged to become British Airways. BA's Concordes carried registrations of G-BOAA to G-BOAG . The first Concorde delivered to British Airways
14746-489: The reign of Charles III John brought some significant social and political reforms. In 1854, women won the right to inherit property. In 1863, the last trace of keeping unmarried women in the status of minors was removed. Furthermore, women were eligible for different occupations, particularly the common school teacher. By mid-century, Norway's democracy was limited; voting was limited to officials, property owners, leaseholders and burghers of incorporated towns. Norway remained
14892-418: The rest of Europe. Eventually restored as a kingdom (albeit in legislative union with Denmark) in 1661, Norway saw its land area decrease in the 17th century with the loss of the provinces Båhuslen , Jemtland , and Herjedalen to Sweden, as the result of a number of disastrous wars with Sweden. In the north, its territory was increased by the acquisition of the northern provinces of Troms and Finnmark , at
15038-481: The revised Comet 4 were designed to be fail-safe: in the event of, for example, a skin-failure due to cracking the damage would be localised and not catastrophic. In October 1958 BOAC operated the first transatlantic jet service with the larger and longer-range Comet 4. In the 1950s turbine powered airliners were developing rapidly, and the Comet and the seriously delayed Bristol Britannia were soon rendered obsolescent by
15184-592: The routes from Oslo to Stavanger and Trondheim. Braathens held a monopoly on the routes from Oslo to Kristiansand, Ålesund, Molde and Kristiansund, as well as the West Coast route between Bergen, Ålesund, Molde, Kristiansund and Trondheim, as well as from Western Norway to Northern Norway. With the opening of Gardermoen in 1998, Braathens had expanded its network to direct services from Oslo to Kristiansand, Stavanger, Haugesund, Bergen, Ålesund, Molde, Kristiansund, Trondheim, Bodø, Harstad/Narvik and Tromsø, in addition to
15330-477: The routes from Oslo to Ålesund and Kristiansand had a very low seat utilization; to Ålesund there were 1.2 million flown seats annually between the three airlines, but only 345,000 passengers. Color Air terminated all flights and ceased operations on 27 September 1999. Immediately following the bankruptcy, the two airlines increased their prices. In November, Braathens started to remove routes, and announced they would increase prices by 20 percent. They also reintroduced
15476-483: The routes. The airline also received permission to operate from Bergen via either Ålesund, Molde or Kristiansund to Bodø and Tromsø. Between 1975 and 1977, the last three F-27 were sold to sister airline Busy Bee , which took over some of the smallest services. "Green Routes" were introduced from 1976, which offered discounts on certain flights with strict conditions. Founder Ludvig G. Braathen died on 27 December 1976, while still acting as chief executive officer (CEO). He
15622-482: The segregation offended passengers: Customers who previously had been paying full price, became more aware of the savings on using 'Back' tickets, while people who wanted to travel with discounted tickets felt they received better service and were not treated as second-rate customers with SAS. The effect was that Braathens lost customers at both ends. The rebranding itself not only cost money to initiate, but also increased operating expenses, because cabin crew needed to move
15768-543: The subdivision of farms. While in the Viking Age farmers owned their own land, by 1300, seventy per cent of the land was owned by the king, the church, or the aristocracy, and about twenty per cent of yields went to these landowners. The 14th century is described as Norway's golden age , with peace and increase in trade, especially with the British Islands, although Germany became increasingly important towards
15914-456: The tailwheel Avro Tudor , not what BOAC wanted. Since 1941, the advanced pressurised Lockheed Constellation had been under development, and in 1946 BOAC was permitted to use dollars to purchase an initial fleet of five for the prestigious North Atlantic route (there were no equivalent British types available). Throughout the whole of BOAC's existence, the argument over buying American or (often delayed) British products continued, and Parliament,
16060-582: The third century. By the time of the first historical records of Scandinavia, about the 8th century, several small political entities existed in Norway. It has been estimated that there were nine petty realms in Western Norway during the early Viking Age . Archaeologist Bergljot Solberg on this basis estimates that there would have been at least 20 in the whole country. In the Viking period, Norwegian Viking explorers discovered Iceland by accident in
16206-479: The three companies increased their daily round trip from 138 to 200, and the daily seat capacity from 18,000 to 26,000. Braathens introduced a new route to Haugesund, but saw competition from SAS to Kristiansand and from two airlines to Ålesund. By the end of 1998, it became clear that Braathens had increased capacity with 20 percent, but only achieved a 5.2 percent ridership increase after the opening of Gardermoen. Similar numbers were applicable for SAS. In particular,
16352-452: The throne of Norway and Sweden in 1818 and reigned to 1844. He protected the constitution and liberties of Norway and Sweden during the age of Metternich . As such, he was regarded as a liberal monarch. However, he was ruthless in his use of paid informers, secret police and restrictions on the freedom of the press to put down public movements for reform—especially the Norwegian national independence movement. The Romantic Era that followed
16498-498: The traditional dominant view, the first component was originally norðr , a cognate of English north , so the full name was Norðr vegr , "the way northwards", referring to the sailing route along the Norwegian coast, and contrasting with suðrvegar "southern way" (from Old Norse suðr ) for (Germany), and austrvegr "eastern way" (from austr ) for the Baltic . The earliest traces of human occupation in Norway are found along
16644-598: The two airlines to negotiate air rights through the British colony of Cyprus . The chairman of BOAC, Miles Thomas , was in favour of the idea as a potential solution to a disagreement between the two airlines as to which should serve the increasingly important oil regions of the Middle East , and he had backing for his proposal from the Chancellor of the Exchequer at the time, Rab Butler . However, opposition from
16790-536: The two would hold a near-monopoly on domestic services, the merger was investigated by the Norwegian Competition Authority . They initially disapproved of the merger, With bankruptcy imminent and no other purchasers interested, the authority gave the green light on 23 October. As a condition, the authority decided to regulate a ban on frequent flyer programs, and stated that it would ban cross-subsidization aimed at underbidding or operating at
16936-475: The type continued to operate freight schedules until late 1957. After its first six Lockheed 049 Constellations, BOAC had to use some ingenuity to increase its Constellation fleet. In 1947, Aerlínte Éireann in Ireland bought five new Lockheed 749 Constellations, and prepared to launch a transatlantic service with assistance and crew-training from Captains O. P. Jones and J. C. Kelly-Rogers of BOAC. The project
17082-417: The unsuitable Armstrong Whitworth Whitley "civilianised" bombers were also used between 9 August and 24 October 1942 ("Civilianised" meant that all the armaments and unnecessary guns and turrets had been removed, a legal requirement for operating a commercial civilian service to a neutral country). The much faster civilian registered de Havilland Mosquitoes were introduced by BOAC in 1943. The significance of
17228-683: The world—primarily in the Far East. Braathen traveled to the United States, where he bought several used 44-passenger Douglas C-54 (DC-4) aircraft from the United States Air Force . Twenty pilots were recruited and sent to Fort Worth for certification. The first plane, LN-HAV Norse Explorer , landed at Oslo Airport, Gardermoen on 26 December 1946. The first service run from Oslo to Cairo via Copenhagen and Paris on 30 January 1947. Various charter services were provided, such as evacuating French and British personnel prior to
17374-486: The wreckage recovered from the Mediterranean sea-bed and observation of a sample fuselage in a pressurisation test-tank at Farnborough revealed that the repeated pressurisation / depressurisation cycles of airline operation could cause fatigue cracks in the thin aluminium alloy skin of the Comet leading to the skins ripping away explosively at altitude and disintegration of the aircraft. Later jet airliners including
17520-455: Was Oslo Airport, Gardermoen from 1946 to 1949, and then moved its main base to Oslo Airport, Fornebu . From the closing of Fornebu in 1998, it moved back to Gardermoen and established it as a hub . From 1997 to 1999, Stockholm Arlanda Airport acted as a hub for Sweden. The main technical base was at Stavanger Airport, Sola . Prior to 1987 the Norwegian aviation market was split between Braathens SAFE and SAS. The two only competed head-on on
17666-631: Was a Utopian socialist who in 1848 organised a labour society in Drammen . In just a few months, this society had a membership of 500 and was publishing its own newspaper. Within two years, 300 societies had been organised all over Norway, with a total membership of 20,000 drawn from the lower classes of both urban and rural areas. In the end, the revolt was easily crushed; Thrane was captured and jailed. In 1898, all men were granted universal suffrage , followed by all women in 1913. Christian Michelsen , Prime Minister of Norway from 1905 to 1907, played
17812-559: Was abandoned in February 1948, and BOAC were able to buy the almost new 749s without dollar expenditure four months later. This enabled BOAC to serve Australia with Constellations from 1949. A total of 25 Constellations passed through the BOAC fleet, including 12 749As obtained from Capital Airlines in the mid-1950s, with BOAC's older 049s in part exchange. BOAC was also permitted to spend dollars on six new Boeing 377 Stratocruisers for its key transatlantic routes from October 1949, offering
17958-510: Was continued to and including the 737-400 and -500 aircraft. A new livery with a stylized grey wing as logo on the vertical stabilizer and a blue belly was introduced in 1998 with the delivery of the 737-700. The logo was replaced with the Flag of Norway in 1999. Only some of the early Douglas aircraft were named, and those that were started with "Norse". The Heron were given common Norwegian male names. The three last F-27 and newer aircraft were all named for kings of Norway . During its operations,
18104-503: Was declared to have holdings in eighteen companies. In 1962, BOAC and Cunard formed BOAC-Cunard Ltd to operate scheduled services to North America, the Caribbean and South America. BOAC provided 70% of the new company's capital and eight Boeing 707s. The independent Cunard Eagle Airways , of which Cunard held a 60% shareholding, provided two more 707s. BOAC-Cunard leased any spare capacity to BOAC which could use it to supplement
18250-484: Was dosed with LSD when a BOAC stewardess put it in his drink, during a 1968 visit to the Copacabana nightclub. In Ian Fleming's Goldfinger, a BOAC aircraft is hijacked by the villain, Auric Goldfinger, and James Bond held captive upon it until he is able to retrieve the situation. One of the Concorde aircraft operated by British Airways was tail-named G-BOAC. Because of this coincidental reference to BOAC, it
18396-439: Was established as a domestic low-cost airline by Olav Nils Sunde in January 1998. That year also saw the closing of Fornebu and the opening of Gardermoen as the new main airport, with the move taking place on 8 October. Color Air started flights from Gardermoen on 1 August. As Gardermoen did not have the landing slot limitations as the single-runway Fornebu, the three airline set off in a craze to establish new routes. In total,
18542-483: Was established by Braganza in 1989 after negotiating agreements with Norsk Hydro , Phillips Petroleum and Statoil to provide helicopter transport for their crews to their offshore oil installations Ekofisk , Oseberg , Gullfaks , Veslefrikk . This was the first time the incumbent Helikopter Service had received competition on their offshore helicopter services. Four 19-seet Aérospatiale Super Puma helicopters were ordered. Services started on 1 September 1990. In 1992
18688-522: Was for 11 Boeing 747-100s . On 22 April 1970 BOAC received its first 747, but the aircraft did not enter commercial service until 14 April 1971 due to BOAC's inability to settle crewing and pay rates with the British Air Line Pilots' Association . BOAC's successor British Airways later became the largest Boeing customer outside North America. The first attempt at a merger of BOAC with BEA arose in 1953 out of inconclusive attempts between
18834-539: Was founded in 1946 by Ludvig G. Braathen and originally used a fleet of Douglas DC-4 aircraft on routes to the Far East and South Africa. From 1954 the airline was forced to operate all its scheduled flights domestically, where it used de Havilland Herons . Braathens SAFE retained an international charter service using the DC-3 and DC-6 . As new domestic airports were built, Braathens SAFE and SAS were awarded each their share of monopoly route concessions. The Fokker F-27
18980-499: Was granted a series of international route concessions. The first, to Billund , Denmark, started in 1989, and the second, to Newcastle , started the following year. A route to Malmö , Sweden, started in 1991 and on a week's notice in 1992, Braathens SAFE started flying to London Gatwick Airport , after the bankruptcies of Norway Airlines and Dan-Air . Busy Bee went bankrupt in 1993 and their regional services were instead subcontracted to Norwegian Air Shuttle . Braathens Helikopter
19126-743: Was granted permission to fly from Oslo via Tønsberg Airport, Jarlsberg to Stavanger. Braathens acquired de Havilland Heron aircraft to operate the route. Permission to fly from Oslo to Trondheim Airport, Lade was granted in 1953, a route also served by SAS. Termination of Far East routes led to a 90% drop in revenue and the airline made several unsuccessful applications for new routes. They were successful in obtaining permission include stopovers on Oslo–Stavanger services at Kristiansand Airport, Kjevik and Farsund Airport, Lista . From 1956 stopovers took place at Hamar Airport, Stafsberg and Notodden Airport, Tuven , but these only lasted until 1959. By then it had added Røros Airport to its destinations. Following
19272-537: Was introduced in 1958, but was phased out with the delivery of the Fokker F-28 and Boeing 737-200 jets from 1969. The last F-27 was phased out in 1975. After a two-year use of Boeing 767 aircraft, Braathens operated an all-Boeing 737 fleet from 1986. Increased domestic competition on routes started from 1987, along with Braathens SAFE again starting international routes. By 1994 the fleet had been replaced with Boeing 737-400 and -500 and domestic deregulation of
19418-568: Was introduced in 1960. In 1967 Braathens SAFE was granted permission to continue their service between Bergen, Ålesund and Trondheim northwards to Bodø Airport and Tromsø Airport . Saga Tours started selling Mediterranean charter trips in 1959 and Braathens SAFE operated the flights. At first the DC-4 was used, but from 1961 the airline used the 96-seat Douglas DC-6 , reaching seven aircraft in 1967. Braathens bought strategic stakes in both Saga Tours and Sweden's Atlas Resor to secure their share of
19564-752: Was lifted in 1949, while price controls and rationing of housing and cars continued until 1960. British Overseas Airways Corporation British Overseas Airways Corporation ( BOAC ) was the British state-owned airline created in 1939 by the merger of Imperial Airways and British Airways Ltd . It continued operating overseas services throughout World War II. After the passing of the Civil Aviation Act 1946 , European and South American services passed to two further state-owned airlines, British European Airways (BEA) and British South American Airways (BSAA). BOAC absorbed BSAA in 1949, but BEA continued to operate British domestic and European routes for
19710-526: Was mostly used in the domestic market. The first -400 was delivered in 1989 and the first -500 the following year. By 1994 all -200 had been retired. The first stages towards deregulation started in 1987 with Braathens SAFE being permitted to compete with SAS on the Oslo–Bergen and Western Norway–Trondheim–Bodø–Tromsø route, plus once daily Oslo–Trondheim–Bodø, as well as Tromsø–Longyearbyen, in an attempt to increase domestic competition. From 1988, Braathens SAFE
19856-408: Was one revolt under Knut Alvsson in 1502. Norway took no part in the events which led to Swedish independence from Denmark in the 1520s. Upon the death of King Haakon V in 1319, Magnus Eriksson , at just three years old, inherited the throne as King Magnus VII. A simultaneous movement to make Magnus King of Sweden proved successful (he was a grandson of King Magnus Ladulås of Sweden), and both
20002-468: Was part of Denmark–Norway , and, from 1814 to 1905, it was in a personal union with Sweden. Norway was neutral during the First World War , and in the Second World War until April 1940 when it was invaded and occupied by Nazi Germany until the end of the war. Harald V of the House of Glücksburg is the current King of Norway . Jonas Gahr Støre has been Prime Minister of Norway since 2021. As
20148-634: Was proclaimed King of Norway by the Eyrathing in 995. One of the most important sources for the history of the 11th century Vikings is the treaty between the Icelanders and Olaf II Haraldsson, king of Norway circa 1015 to 1028. Feudalism never really developed in Norway or Sweden, as it did in the rest of Europe. However, the administration of government took on a very conservative feudal character. The Hanseatic League forced royalty to cede to them greater and greater concessions over foreign trade and
20294-793: Was reached with the trade unions to keep costs down, and the company raised additional capital in an initial public offering and subsequent listing on the Oslo Stock Exchange on 10 January 1994. After the listing, Braganza retained 69% of the company. On 1 April, service frequencies increased on the Oslo–Bergen route and the airline introduced direct flights from Oslo to Tromsø and Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes , later supplemented with direct services to Bodø. The following two years, Braathens SAFE also introduced scheduled international flights to Rome , as well as summer routes to Jersey and Nice . However, Braathens SAFE terminated their routes from Bergen to Bodø, Harstad/Narvik and Tromsø, making
20440-490: Was registered G-BOAC. Flight was out of the financial reach of the vast majority of travellers in Britain. However as a nationalised industry , British taxpayers were funding BOAC’s operations overseas. As a result, in the immediate post-war period BOAC saw a need to promote their aviation services beyond traditional travel. Scott Anthony and Oliver Green described in their 2012 book: “New Elizabethan ambitions made BOAC into
20586-557: Was rejected in favor of becoming the launch customer of the Fokker F-28 Fellowship , which was planned as the new domestic workhorse. The move would see all the F-27 replaced with F-28. Both jet aircraft were delivered in 1969. This period also saw the gradual retirement of the DC-4 and DC-6. Kristiansund Airport, Kvernberget opened in 1970 and Molde Airport, Årø in 1972, with Braathens SAFE granted permission to operate
20732-488: Was replaced by his son Bjørn G. Braathen . During the 1970s, Braathens SAFE took delivery of eleven 737s, including one with a cargo door, and three with extended range which allowed for non-stop flights to the Canary Islands . Discounted "summer tickets" were introduced from the early 1980s which increased load factor. Braathens SAFE bought 15 percent of DNL in 1982 and applied for concessions for helicopter services from Stavanger to offshore oil platforms . This resulted in
20878-610: Was sold to the SAS Group . Braathens merged with SAS Norway on 1 May 2004. Braathens South American & Far East Airtransport A/S was founded on 26 March 1946 by Ludvig G. Braathen through his shipping company Ludvig G. Braathens Rederi and its holding company Braganza. Braathens had made good money during World War II with the participation in the Norwegian Shipping and Trade Mission . His initial intentions were to fly crew and supplies to his and others ships throughout
21024-564: Was the first purchase of aircraft direct from the Douglas Aircraft Company in BOAC's history. In May 1952 BOAC was the first airline to introduce a passenger jet into airline service. This was the de Havilland Comet which flew via Nairobi to Johannesburg and via the Far East to Tokyo. All Comet 1 aircraft were grounded in April 1954 after four Comets crashed, the second last being a BOAC aircraft at altitude. Examination of
21170-455: Was unprepared for the German surprise attack (see: Battle of Drøbak Sound , Norwegian Campaign , and Invasion of Norway ), military and naval resistance lasted for two months. Norwegian armed forces in the north launched an offensive against the German forces in the Battles of Narvik , but were forced to surrender on 10 June after losing British support which had been diverted to France during
21316-582: Was wielded by the leader of the German occupation authority, Josef Terboven . Quisling, as minister president , later formed a collaborationist government under German control . Up to 15,000 Norwegians volunteered to fight in German units, including the Waffen-SS . Many Norwegians and persons of Norwegian descent joined the Allied forces as well as the Free Norwegian Forces . In June 1940,
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