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.
68-525: Established as Busy Bee Air Service A/S by Bjørn G. Braathen , the airline initially mostly operated corporate charters, using among other aircraft a Learjet 23 and later three Hawker Siddeley HS.125 . After a near-bankruptcy in 1973, the company fell under the ownership of Braganza and was renamed Air Executive Norway A/S . It focused on operating Short Skyvans and later Fokker F27 Friendships . From 1975 it operated regional services for its sister company Braathens SAFE and increasingly flew charter for
136-566: A Billund Airport route on 2 October. Two years later they received permission to fly to Bremen Airport , but ultimately shut down on 21 November 1991. The flight school continued to operate. SAS was reorganized in 1990 and the Copenhagen routes were taken over by SAS Commuter 's Eurolink service with new Fokker 50 aircraft. Norsk Air introduced a service from Sandefjord Airport, Torp via Kristiansand to London Stansted Airport on 28 October 1991. The route had insufficient traffic and
204-440: A Deli de Luca kiosk. The departure hall features a kiosk from the same chain and a duty free store. The latter also serves arriving international passengers. The airport has six gates, numbered 1 through 7. The first three can be used for international flights, with gate 3 able to also handle domestic flights, when it is numbered 4. The last three only handle domestic flights. None of the gates have jetbridges . Ground handling
272-788: A Fokker 50 three times per day. By 2000 Maersk Air had replaced its F50s with jet aircraft on the Copenhagen route. The airport's patronage peaked at 902,295 in 1999, after which the ridership fell and did not recoup until 2011. Following the SAS Group purchase of Braathens in 2002, SAS closed its Kristiansand to Oslo route on 2 April. Also as a result of the merger, SAS Commuter took over Norwegian's routes to Stavanger and Bergen on 1 April 2003. The same year SAS resumed its route to Copenhagen, matching Maersk Air with three daily flights. The following year Maersk Air introduced flights to Billund Airport in Denmark. The airline ceased operations
340-492: A Miles Gemini were delivered in 1947 and 1948. The airline launched a scheduled route from Stavanger and Kristiansand via Ålborg to Gothenburg . The airline's hangar at Kjevik collapsed in 1954 and the Seabee sold in 1956. From then the airline had less and less activity and liquidated in 1962. Braathens resumed traffic on 6 June 1955 when it opened a route from Oslo via Tønsberg , Kristiansand and Farsund to Stavanger, with
408-491: 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. It opened on 1 June 1939, as the joint second airport in the country. During the Second World War it was occupied and expanded by
476-466: A bankruptcy. Regulations demanded that the chief pilot, chief technical officer and the accountable manager had to continue if the air operator's certificate (AOC) was to be continued. They made an agreement with Braathens to fly the West Coast regional routes, cutting the hourly cost from 17,000 to 12,000 Norwegian krone . Although operations had halted, the planning was initially carried out within
544-444: A coastal route from Oslo to Haugesund . Norwegian Air Lines (DNL) commenced a coastal seaplane route along the southern coast from Oslo to Bergen via Kristiansand on 9 June 1935. This service used an aerodrome at Kongsgårdbukta. The government stated in 1935 that it planned on building a main airport for Agder – Kristiansand, Mandal and Arendal were all proposed as suitable hosts. The government concluded that Kristiansand
612-417: A contract to fly for the administration of Air Nordic out of Stockholm Västerås Airport to Sundsvall , Vasa , Gothenburg, Örebro and Oslo. On 4 May 1992 Busy Bee started flying a route from Stavanger to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport for KLM . Busy Bee filed for bankruptcy on 17 December 1992. The management started working during latter part of 1992 to create a contingency plan to continue operations past
680-483: A contract to operate several inter-Scandinavian routes for Scandinavian Airlines System from 1982. This were mostly out of Copenhagen Airport to Stavanger, Kristiansand, Göteborg Landvetter Airport and Jönköping Airport , as well as between Oslo and Gothenburg. For instance, the Oslo–Gothenburg route replaced a Douglas DC-9 service which was running at a loss. With smaller capacity and higher frequency, Busy Bee
748-468: A daily round trip on a de Havilland Heron . These were replaced with the larger Fokker F27 Friendship in 1959. The route served 2,593 passengers the first year, increasing to 17,900 in 1960. Braathens opened a route from Kristiansand to Ålborg in 1960, although this was taken over by SAS the following year. That year the airport had 54,306 passengers. KLM introduced the Vickers Viscount on
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#1732797285336816-464: A domestic Ju 52 seaplane route from Kristiansand to Stavanger, Haugesund and Bergen. Danish Air Lines introduced a route from Kjevik to Aalborg and Copenhagen in 1947. DNL started a land plane route from Kristiansand to Stavanger in 1947, but withdrew two years later, using a Douglas DC-3 . From 1949 KLM took over flights from Oslo to Kristiansand. Braathens SAFE was awarded the route in 1950, along with an extension to Copenhagen, but abandoned it
884-513: A few of their routes were not sufficiently heavily trafficked to warrant jetliners. An arrangement was reached whereby the three newest F-27s were transferred to Busy Bee, one each in 1975, 1976 and 1977. It also operated flights along the West Coast, connecting airports from Kristiansand Airport, Kjevik in the south to Trondheim Airport, Værnes in the north. From 1977 Busy Bee took over Braathens SAFE's two daily services from Stavanger Airport, Sola via Farsund Airport, Lista to Oslo. Throughout
952-411: A floating dock and a slipway . Kjevik opened on 1 June 1939, the same day as Oslo Airport, Fornebu . The first aircraft to land was a Douglas DC-2 of KLM . They started an international route from Oslo via Kristiansand to Amsterdam , while Danish Air Lines operated to Copenhagen . DNL opened a domestic seaplane route from Oslo via Kristiansand to Stavanger Airport, Sola . Kjevik was captured by
1020-475: A group started looking at Kjevik as a suitable site, led by aviator Bernt Balchen , industrialist Rolf Petersen and Lawyer Hartmann. They presented detailed plans and agreed prices for purchase of lands. Based on this Kristiansand Municipal Council accepted on 5 August 1936 to reconsider Kjevik. Kjevik was passed in the council on 30 September 1937 with 34 against 26 votes. Construction commenced in November and
1088-420: A hill at the east end of the runway, followed by an extension of the runway. Tveit was transformed with military structures built throughout the village. In the east a minefield was laid and several fuel tanks were built around the airfield. Two large hangars were built, along with a large number of sheds. In the course of the war the runway was extended to 1,580 meters (5,180 ft). The German military planned
1156-540: A large expansion of the airport from 1945, which would have included new aprons and would have obliterated the village. These plans were halted by the end of the war . Kjevik was taken over by the Royal Air Force in May 1945. They started the work of mine sweeping and disarming the armaments and general clean-up of the aerodrome. It was later transferred to civilian use. The Air Force's Aircraft-Technical School and
1224-455: A large portion of its revenue tied up with the military contracts. To compensate, Busy Bee increased its focus on European wet lease contracts, which it signed with among others NLM CityHopper , Austrian Airlines and British Midland International . The airline lost 12 million kroner in 1989. They were unable to sell three of the F27s which had been replaced with F50s the previous year. However,
1292-511: A leakage in western Vest-Agder to Stavanger Airport, Sola, and in Aust-Agder a leakage to Sandefjord Airport, Torp. These both have significantly more international services than Kjevik. Kjevik has significantly lower traffic than other airports in Norway covering similarly sized populations. A contributing factor is the well-established bus and train services to the capital. The airport
1360-484: A partnership with the Norwegian Armed Forces, in which it was specially equipped to meet military needs. Specifically, it was a combi variant, which encompassed a side loading door and the possibility to quickly rearrange the interior between all-passenger, all-freight, combined passenger and freight, as well as VIP configuration. The aircraft was designed to be able to operate out from gravel runways and
1428-600: A revenue of 209 million kroner in 1986, up 31 percent, and produced a profit of 5 million. Busy Bee partnered with Gambia Air Shuttle in 1987 to help start the airline's operations. For a year Busy Bee wet leased an F-27 to the fledgling airline to allow it to commence its route from Banjul International Airport to Dakar Yoff International Airport . By 1986 Busy Bee was earning 35 percent of its revenue from subcarrying with Braathens SAFE, 25 percent from SAS, 20 percent from military contracts, 10 percent from inclusive tour charter and ten percent from ad hoc charter. Busy Bee
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#17327972853361496-662: A route to Gdańsk using an Airbus A320 in May 2013, mostly targeting the Polish expatriate community. Construction of a new international terminal commenced in 2014, scheduled for opening in June 2015. It will consist of a 3,200-square-meter (34,000 sq ft) extension of the terminal northwards. It will feature four new gates, of which two can be used for flights out of the Schengen Area . The baggage hall and duty-free shop will be expanded. Kristiansand Airport, Kjevik
1564-711: A second such aircraft in December 1968 and a third in February 1970. By 1968 Busy Bee was the largest private charter operator out of Norway. In addition to business executives, the airline derived a significant portion of its business from Norway's significant shipping industry. A typical task would involve flying spare parts and technicians to a far-away port to make crucial repairs to ships, allowing faster reentry into revenue service. The airline took into use an air-supported hangar at Oslo Airport, Fornebu in February 1969, which measured 67 by 34 meters (220 by 112 ft). This
1632-403: A subcarrier for Braathens SAFE. Braathens SAFE never made a profit on the service. Busy Bee made two major purchase contracts with Fokker in 1985. In May it ordered four new F27s with delivery the following year. In June it ordered four Fokker 50s with delivery in late 1988. The new F27s were of the modernized -200 variant. For four months of 1986 Busy Bee leased a fifth F27-200. The airline had
1700-727: A wide range of aircraft, focusing until the 1980s exclusively as a flying school. KLM introduced the Douglas DC-9 on the Amsterdam route from 1966. However, the stopped serving Kristiansand from November 1971, when the stop was moved to Gothenburg. Braathens introduced the Fokker F28 Fellowship from 1969 and the Boeing 737-200 from 1975. The airport served 203,875 passengers in 1970, which increased to 295,578 five years later. A parachute club, Kjevik Fallskjermklubb,
1768-450: Is 17 meters (56 ft) above mean sea level . Kjevik has a category I instrument landing system in both directions, both which are equipped with precision approach path indicator . The airport has a category 7 fire and rescue service. The apron is connected to the runway via three taxiways, although none of these run parallel to the runway. The check-in area consists of automated and staffed check-in stands, five car rental agencies and
1836-579: 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
1904-847: Is listed explicitly in Federal Register 78 FR 39576 . Any Learjet 23s that have not been modified by installing Stage 3 noise compliant engines or have not had "hushkits" installed for non-compliant engines will not be permitted to fly in the contiguous 48 states after 31 December 2015. 14 CFR § 91.883 Special flight authorizations for jet airplanes weighing 75,000 pounds or less – lists special flight authorizations that may be granted for operation after 31 December 2015. Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1965–66 General characteristics Performance Related development Related lists Kristiansand Airport, Kjevik Kristiansand Airport, Kjevik ( Norwegian : Kristiansand lufthavn ; IATA : KRS , ICAO : ENCN )
1972-460: Is provided by Aviator and SAS Ground Handling , while aviation fuel is provided by Shell . The busiest route from Kristiansand is to Oslo Airport, Gardermoen. It is flown six times daily by SAS and four times daily by Norwegian using Boeing 737s . Other domestic routes are flown by Widerøe to Stavanger, Bergen and Trondheim. KLM Cityhopper flies twice daily to Amsterdam and Widerøe flies thrice daily to Copenhagen. SAS flies once per week during
2040-466: Is situated 16 kilometers (9.9 mi) by road from the city center. National Road 451 runs along the northern side of the runway and connects to National Road 41. It connects to the E18 freeway. The airport features parking for 1,800 cars. Car rental is also available. Haga Buss operates an airport coach to Kristiansand. Nettbuss operates a coach service to Lillesand , Grimstad and Arendal . This
2108-617: Is situated on the grounds of the farm Kjevik at Tveit in Kristiansand, Norway. The asphalt runway physically measures 2,035 by 45 meters (6,677 by 148 ft) and is numbered 03/21. In addition it features a 90-meter (300 ft) engineered materials arrestor system at each end. The runway has a declared take-off run available of 1,986 and 1,969 meters (6,516 and 6,460 ft) on runways 03/21, respectively. The landing distances available are 1,920 and 1,870 meters (6,300 and 6,140 ft), respectively. The aerodromes reference altitude
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2176-520: The Luftwaffe during the German invasion on the 9th of April, 1940. The first aircraft landed at Kjevik as an emergency landing on the first day of the invasion. Later it was used by Junkers Ju 52 transport aircraft, flying troops in. From the 11th of April, a squadron of Messerschmitt Bf 109s were stationed at Kjevik. Luftwaffe immediately started upgrading the aerodrome. They began by removing
2244-504: The Luftwaffe . Kristiansand's southerly location caused the airport to receive several international routes during the early years, as well as domestic services. Braathens SAFE served domestic services from 1955 to its demise in 2004. KLM flew until 1971, after which Dan-Air opened routes to the United Kingdom. The terminal received major extensions in 1955, 1979, 1994 and 2015. New control towers were built in 1966 and 2013. It
2312-552: The Norwegian Armed Forces . The airline took the name Busy Bee of Norway A/S in 1980, at which time it also took delivery of a Boeing 737-200C . Regional services were introduced with Scandinavian Airlines Systems (SAS), followed by Fokker 50s entering service from 1988. Reduced military charters and a loss of a vital contract in 1991 caused the foundation to fall out of the airline and it filed for bankruptcy in December 1992. Key people and assets reestablished
2380-510: The 1970s chartered contracts with the Norwegian Armed Forces became an increasing source of revenue for Busy Bee. To accommodate the increasing operations, Air Executive bought a Boeing 737-200 in 1979, named Storebia ("The Big Bee"). The following year the airline resumed it old brand, taking the name Busy Bee of Norway A/S. The aircraft received a new yellow and brown livery with a bee on the vertical stabilizer . The airline received its fourth F27-100 in 1981 and two more in 1983. Busy Bee won
2448-464: The Air Executive period until 1980, the airline had a mixed white, blue and red livery, which brought it close to that used by its larger sister company. The Busy Bee brand was reintroduced in 1980, after which the airline used a honey and brown cheatline and decorated the vertical stabilizer with a bee. From 1980 the airline operated a single Boeing 737-2R4C. The aircraft was bought through
2516-705: The Kjevik route in 1957 and three years later started using the Lockheed L-188 Electra . The Weapon Technical School moved back to Kjevik in 1963. During the late 1950s and 1960s SAS switched its Kristiansand services first to the Saab Scandia and then the Convair CV-440 Metropolitan . Dan-Air introduced summer services to Newcastle-upon-Tyne from 1963, expanded to an all-year service from 1972. New aircraft resulted in
2584-585: The Weapon-Technical School moved to Kjevik in February 1946. The latter moved to Lista Air Station two years later. The upgraded facilities resulted in Kristiansand Municipality wanted to rid itself of the responsibility and cost of running the airport. The city council passed a resolution of 9 December 1946 offering the airport free of charge to the state. This was approved by Parliament on 20 June 1947. The same year
2652-437: The airline as Norwegian Air Shuttle . Busy Bee was founded by Bjørn G. Braathen, son of Braathens SAFE's founder and owner Ludvig G. Braathen . It rested on two niches—providing feeder services to Braathens SAFE's services and providing corporate charter flights. Ludvig G. Braathens Rederi alone was in such high demand for corporate charter that the airline could nearly fill one plane with that group alone. The company
2720-518: The aviation club Kjevik Flyklubb was established. On 6 March 1946 KLM resumed its route, flying from Oslo via Kristiansand to Amsterdam using a Douglas DC-3 . By 1950 it was flown three times a week, and continued onwards to Brussels . DNL, through the Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) cooperation started an international route on 2 October 1946 from Oslo via Kristiansand, Amsterdam and Brussels to Paris . Four days later
2788-623: The company was able to downsize easily after 30 pilots resigned to work for SAS Commuter, which expanded its operations in Northern Norway in 1990. It proposed in October that the airline could take over operation of the military Lockheed C-130 Hercules transporters, allowing them to be wet leased on commercial duties when not in regular use, but the idea was squarely rejected by military. Services to Sandefjord were terminated in 1991. This followed an agreement that one Fokker 50 aircraft
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2856-403: The following year. Braathens merged into SAS Braathens in 2004, and resumed as Scandinavian Airlines from 2007. Norwegian returned to Kjevik in 2007 as a low-cost carrier with three weekly flights to London Stansted Airport . However, the route proved to have too little patronage and was closed within the year. However, they introduced three daily flights to Oslo from 5 June 2008, adding to
2924-545: The following year. The terminal building was expanded in 1953, receiving a new waiting room and a new cafeteria. Sørfly—the first airline based in Agder—was established in 1946. It operated out of Kjevik, originally with the Auster Autocrats . They performed various general aviation tasks, including sight-seeing, charter flights for hunters, especially to Setesdal and aerial photography . A Republic Seabee and
2992-411: The four daily flights flown by SAS. Widerøe took over SAS Commuters flights to Bergen and Stavanger in 2010. Avinor installed a 90 meters (300 ft) long section of engineered materials arrestor system at the end of each runway in 2012. Kjevik is the only airport in Norway with this system, as the proximity to vulnerable marine environment prohibits the creation of a conventional safety zone around
3060-527: The framework of the receivership . One million kroner was raised in capital. Norwegian Air Shuttle was incorporated on 22 January 1993. Operations commenced on 28 January 1993 and the new airline kept the Busy Bee livery until May 1993, when a red, blue and white livery similar to that of Braathens was introduced. Busy Bee employed three liveries throughout its history. During the initial Busy Bee period from 1966 to 1973, it had honey-colored detailing. During
3128-612: The late 1970s the terminal was too small, resulting in the airport opening a new 3,500-square-meter (38,000 sq ft) terminal on 22 March 1979, costing NOK 19 million. The terminal from the war had been used for domestic services and was converted to cargo terminal. The international terminal was converted to a terminal for the Air Force. Kjevik served 400,549 passengers in 1980, increasing to 477,549 five years later. Kristiansand-based Agderfly introduced services to Göteborg Landvetter Airport on 26 September 1989, followed by
3196-409: The military announced that it would abolish its leasing operations and instead buy scheduled tickets, terminating the last military charters from 1 April 1992. SAS and Busy Bee entered negotiations in November 1991 to look into the possibility of establishing a new airline, Norwegian Commuter. Several business models were considered, either with Norwegian Commuter pooling regional operations operated by
3264-411: The need for a longer runway. The city and the state made an agreement whereby the former would pay for the land while the latter would pay for the construction. The runway was extended to 1,960 meters (6,430 ft) in 1966. On 2 November a new, 18-meter (59 ft) tall control tower opened. The airport had 143,585 passengers in 1965. Agderfly was established at Kjevik in 1969. The company operated
3332-486: The plans for more than a decade. Moving of the military water aerodrome was proposed several times, although this was never carried out before the construction of Kjevik. Locally the initiative for an airport in Kristiansand was launched by Mayor Andreas Kjær in 1933. The city council sent a formal application to the government in August 1934 asking for an airport. That summer Widerøe commenced flights to Kristiansand along
3400-626: The potential of the Swiss-designed single-engine ground-attack FFA P-16 fighter jet, William (Bill) Powell Lear, Sr. established Swiss American Aviation Corporation (SAAC) to produce a two-engined passenger version: the SAAC-23 Execujet . The company moved to Wichita, Kansas and was renamed Lear Jet Corporation. Production began on the first Model 23 Lear Jet on 7 February 1962. The first flight took place on 7 October 1963 with test pilots Hank Beaird and Bob Hagen. On 4 June 1964,
3468-624: The prototype crashed soon after takeoff, when the pilot inadvertently deployed the wing spoilers while demonstrating an engine failure on takeoff. Eventually determined to be pilot error, this mishap did not deter the Federal Aviation Agency (later the Federal Aviation Administration) from awarding the Lear Jet 23 its type certificate on 31 July 1964. On 13 October 1964, the first production aircraft
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#17327972853363536-701: The runways. The south end was installed in July and the north end later in the year. The installations cost between 70 and 80 million Norwegian krone . The control tower from 1966 was not sufficiently high to give the air traffic controllers full view of the runway. A new 38-meter (125 ft) tall control tower was therefore opened on 3 June 2013. FlyNonstop was established as a Kjevik-based airline and commenced flights on 25 April 2013. They flew to ten sun and city holiday destinations using an Embraer 190 operated by Denim Air . With insufficient passenger load factor , they went bankrupt on 29 October. Wizz Air started
3604-427: The summer to Alicante and Wizz Air flies twice weekly to Gdańsk. Kristiansand Airport, Kjevik is the ninth-busiest airport in Norway. It served 1,061,130 passengers in 2018, of which 297,106 were international passengers. In 2018, the airport also saw 19,290 aircraft movements. Kjevik's catchment area covers Agder and is the only scheduled airport in the twin counties. For international flights, Kjevik experiences
3672-448: The two existing companies, or an all-ot merger. Either way the idea was that the new company would have taken over all subcarried regional flights for Braathens SAFE and SAS in southern Norway. However, nothing came of the plans. The company received 30 million kroner in new share capital in December 1991 and a two-year contract to fly routes for Braathens. This was made conditional of both downsizing and wage reductions. The airline secured
3740-500: Was able to triple patronage within three years and brought profitability to the route. Due to disputes with the labor unions, SAS terminated parts of its contract with Busy Bee in March 1984. Instead they established what would become SAS Commuter . However, delays postponed the route transfer until December. Busy Bee started services out of Haugesund Airport, Karmøy to Bergen, Stavanger and Sandefjord Airport, Torp on 26 March 1984, as
3808-469: Was also as the only 737 certified to be used for parachuting . Learjet 23 The Learjet 23 (originally Lear Jet 23 ) is an American six-to-eight-seat (two crew and four to six passengers) twinjet , high-speed business jet manufactured by Learjet . Introduced in 1964, it was Learjet's first model and created a new market for fast and efficient small business aircraft. Production ended in 1966 after 101 aircraft had been delivered. Recognizing
3876-678: Was caused by zoning restrictions at Fornebu, which banned the construction of permanent structures. The three HS.125s were sold in 1972. The company came under financial distress in 1973. IT went into administration , was restructured and bought by Braathens SAFE's holding company, Braganza . The company took the name Air Executive Norway A/S. The aircraft were gradually repainted in white, red and blue to more closely match that of Braathens SAFE. Meanwhile, their ordered three Short Skyvans , which were operated until 1984. Braathens SAFE decided around 1975 that it would retire its Fokker F27s and focus entirely on operating services using jetliners. However,
3944-503: Was contracted to Høyer-Ellefsen. The same year the Norwegian Army Air Service used the fields at Kjevik for training. The airport originally consisted of a 1,000-by-40-meter (3,280 by 130 ft) concrete runway connected to the apron with a 12-meter (39 ft) wide taxiway . A small, wooden terminal building was built of a shed and a nearby residential house was used as a restaurant. Seaplanes were served with
4012-517: Was delivered. Production ended in 1966 after one hundred and one aircraft had been delivered. In 1998, thirty nine Model 23s were estimated to remain in use. Twenty seven are known to have been lost or damaged beyond repair through accidents, the most recent being in 2008. In 2013, the FAA modified 14 CFR part 91 rules to prohibit the operation of jets weighing 75,000 pounds or less that are not stage 3 noise compliant after 31 December 2015. The Learjet 23
4080-456: Was founded in 1974. Dan-Air introduced a service to London in 1976. The Air Force's Communication- and Radar School moved to Kjevik in 1977. SAS used the DC-9 for its international route for a period during the 1970s, but as these proved too large later switched to the smaller F27. Kristiansand was one of six test airports which received a British doppler microwave landing system in 1977. In
4148-587: Was incorporated as Busy Bee Air Service A/S in 1966, with operations commencing on 9 May. The name was inspired by a pub in London with the same name. Initially it operated a fleet of a Piper Aztec and a Learjet 23 , the latter the first corporate jet operating out of Norway. In December the Learjet was painted in zebra stripes and leased to a film company for the shooting of The Last Safari in Kenya . The Learjet
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#17327972853364216-475: Was rebuilt and expanded with another 1,000 square meters (11,000 sq ft). Most of this was expansion of the public areas, including a new baggage area. SAS commenced domestic services from Kjevik on 8 October 1998 when Oslo Airport, Gardermoen opened. This waived the need for landing slots which had limited capacity at Fornebu, allowing for free competition on the route. KLM returned to Kristiansand on 28 March 1999, introducing flights to Amsterdam using
4284-669: Was sold already in September 1967. Later that year the airline took delivery of the first of what would be three Piper PA-31 Navajos . A Cessna 185 was also bought, which remained in use until 1974. The airline followed up with a second Piper Aztec in 1968, but sold them both by 1969. A Cessna 206 was used between 1972 and 1974. Both the Cessnas were seaplanes , which operated out of the water airport at Fornebu. Busy Bee launched its first Hawker Siddeley HS.125 in April 1968, and added
4352-407: Was terminated the following year. The airport served 578,373 passengers in 1990, which increased to 745,061 passengers five years later. Busy Bee went bankrupt in 1992 and their routes to Stavanger and Bergen were taken over by Norwegian Air Shuttle. Following SAS terminating the Copenhagen service on 26 March 1994, Maersk Air introduced three daily flights to Copenhagen. That year the terminal
4420-515: Was the base for Sørfly from 1946 to 1962, for Agderfly from 1969 to 2004, and for FlyNonstop in 2013. The first airport in Kristiansand was a water aerodrome situated in the city center. It was built by the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service in 1918. A government commission recommended on 21 October 1920 that Kristiansand receive a water airport as part of a nationwide investment program. However, nothing came of
4488-436: Was the most suitable, based on traffic, military and financial considerations. Several locations were considered. Kongsgårdbakken was selected, costing 2 million Norwegian krone (NOK) less than Kjevik. The municipality and the state formalized construction in April 1936, where the former would provide the land and the construction costs of NOK 2.4 million would be split. Construction commenced soon afterwards. Meanwhile,
4556-562: Was the regular partner of Gulliver, who contracted the Boeing to fly three weekend trips during the summer to Greece. The company estimated that half its profits derived from the military contract. Busy Bee operated about 20,000 flights and transported 800,000 passengers in 1986. During the late 1980s the Norwegian Armed Forces changed their travel procurement practices, shifting focus on chartering aircraft to instead buying tickets on scheduled flights. This hit Busy Bee particularly hard, as it had
4624-464: Was to be sold to Widerøe Norsk Air . An important blow came in January 1991, when Busy Bee lost the tender to operate flights for the military, with Busy Be bidding just half a million above Norway Airlines 's 100 million kroner. Thus the need for the 737 evaporated from April. This caused the company to reduce its staff from 325 to 200, and reduce its fleet from seventeen to nine aircraft. In September
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