Busy Bee
Encyclopedia
Busy Bee of Norway, branded simply Busy Bee was an airline that operated in Norway
between 1966 and 1992. The airline was started by Braathens S.A.F.E under the name Busy Bee Air Service. The airline flew charter and wet lease
for Braathens SAFE and Scandinavian Airlines with Fokker
F-27, Fokker 50 and Boeing 737-200
aircraft. The airline was also for a period known as Air Executive Norway. Its head office was located on the grounds of Oslo Airport, Fornebu
in Fornebu
, Bærum
.
operations for business executives. The board, consisting of shipping owners, claimed they alone would need one aircraft between them. The airline started operations in May 1966, but already in June they had to acquire another The New Piper Aircraft
Aztec C
. In 1967 the airline acquired a sea plane and Norway's first executive jet, a Lear Jet 23
.
In the early 1970s the airline started operating a few of Braathens SAFEs Fokker F-27 aircraft. In the 1970s the airline also operated a number of Short Skyvans. From 1973 the airline changed its name to Air Executive Norway and changed its liveries from honey-yellow and brown to red, white and blue. In 1979 the airline received a Boeing 737-2R4C. The airline went heavily into the charter business, and especially the Norwegian Defence Force
chartered a lot of aircraft. In addition the airline continued flying executives with smaller aircraft.
The airline changed its name back to Busy Bee of Norway on May 28, 1980. The airline also started wet lease
operating routes for Braathens SAFE on the West Coast. Braathens SAFE wanted to reduce its fleet to only one kind - the Boeing 737-200 - and some of the F-27 aircraft were moved to Busy Bee who continued to operate routes that were too small for jet aircraft.
In 1992 the airline went bankrupt. Part of the reason was that the airline was not able to compensate for the revenue loss after the Norwegian Military stopped chartering flights and instead used scheduled routes to transport its personnel. The airline operated 14 Fokker F-27 and F-50 aircraft when it went bankrupt.
The operations serviced by Busy Bee for Braathens on the West Coast were taken over by the new airline Norwegian Air Shuttle
in 1993, who bought three of the Fokker 50 aircraft. In 2003 after Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) had bought Braathens, SAS Commuter
took over the routes, branding them Westlink. SAS has said the routes will be transferred to SAS' subsidiary Widerøe
.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
between 1966 and 1992. The airline was started by Braathens S.A.F.E under the name Busy Bee Air Service. The airline flew charter and wet lease
Wet lease
Aircraft leases are a number of types of leases used by airlines and other aircraft operators. Airlines lease aircraft from other airlines or leasing companies for two main reasons; to operate aircraft without the financial burden of buying them, and to provide temporary increase in capacity...
for Braathens SAFE and Scandinavian Airlines with Fokker
Fokker
Fokker was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer named after its founder, Anthony Fokker. The company operated under several different names, starting out in 1912 in Schwerin, Germany, moving to the Netherlands in 1919....
F-27, Fokker 50 and Boeing 737-200
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
aircraft. The airline was also for a period known as Air Executive Norway. Its head office was located on the grounds of Oslo Airport, Fornebu
Oslo Airport, Fornebu
Oslo Airport, Fornebu was the main airport serving Oslo and Eastern Norway from 1 June 1939 to 7 October 1998. It was then replaced by Oslo Airport, Gardermoen and the area has since been redeveloped. The airport was located at Fornebu in Bærum, from the city center. Fornebu had two runways, one...
in Fornebu
Fornebu
Fornebu is a peninsular area in the suburban municipality of Bærum in Norway, bordering western parts of Oslo.Oslo Airport, Fornebu served as the main airport for Oslo and the country since before WWII and until the evening of October 7, 1998, when it was closed down...
, Bærum
Bærum
is a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Sandvika. Bærum was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838. A suburb of Oslo, Bærum is located on the west coast of the city....
.
History
The concept of Busy Bee was to make a small airline that could provide air taxiAir taxi
An air taxi is an air charter passenger or cargo aircraft which operates on an on-demand basis.-Regulation:In the United States, air taxi and air charter operations are governed by Part 135 of the Federal Aviation Regulations , unlike the larger scheduled air carriers which are governed by more...
operations for business executives. The board, consisting of shipping owners, claimed they alone would need one aircraft between them. The airline started operations in May 1966, but already in June they had to acquire another The New Piper Aircraft
The New Piper Aircraft
Piper Aircraft, Inc., is a manufacturer of general aviation aircraft, located at the Vero Beach Municipal Airport in Vero Beach, Florida. Along with Beechcraft and Cessna, it is considered one of the "Big Three" in the field of general aviation construction....
Aztec C
Piper Aztec
-Accidents and incidents:*On 18 April 1974, Aztec G-AYDE was involved in a ground collision with BAC One-Eleven G-AXMJ at London Luton Airport after the pilot of the Aztec entered the active runway without clearance. He was killed and his passenger was injured...
. In 1967 the airline acquired a sea plane and Norway's first executive jet, a Lear Jet 23
Lear Jet
Learjet is a manufacturer of business jets for civilian and military use. It was founded in the late 1950s by William Powell Lear as Swiss American Aviation Corporation. Learjet is now a subsidiary of Bombardier and marketed as the "Bombardier Learjet Family".-History:The Learjet started life as an...
.
Norwegian Defence Force
The Norwegian Armed Forces numbers about 23,000 personnel, including civilian employees. According to mobilisation plans , the strength during full mobilisation would be approximately 83,000 combatant personnel. Norway has mandatory military service for men and voluntary service for women...
chartered a lot of aircraft. In addition the airline continued flying executives with smaller aircraft.
The airline changed its name back to Busy Bee of Norway on May 28, 1980. The airline also started wet lease
Wet lease
Aircraft leases are a number of types of leases used by airlines and other aircraft operators. Airlines lease aircraft from other airlines or leasing companies for two main reasons; to operate aircraft without the financial burden of buying them, and to provide temporary increase in capacity...
operating routes for Braathens SAFE on the West Coast. Braathens SAFE wanted to reduce its fleet to only one kind - the Boeing 737-200 - and some of the F-27 aircraft were moved to Busy Bee who continued to operate routes that were too small for jet aircraft.
In 1992 the airline went bankrupt. Part of the reason was that the airline was not able to compensate for the revenue loss after the Norwegian Military stopped chartering flights and instead used scheduled routes to transport its personnel. The airline operated 14 Fokker F-27 and F-50 aircraft when it went bankrupt.
The operations serviced by Busy Bee for Braathens on the West Coast were taken over by the new airline Norwegian Air Shuttle
Norwegian Air Shuttle
Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA , trading as Norwegian, is the second-largest airline in Scandinavia. In 2010, it transported 13.0 million people. As of October 2011, Norwegian operates a total fleet of 62 aircraft; 17 Boeing 737-300s and 45 Boeing 737-800s...
in 1993, who bought three of the Fokker 50 aircraft. In 2003 after Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) had bought Braathens, SAS Commuter
SAS Commuter
SAS Commuter, later branded Scandinavian Commuter was a regional airline created by Scandinavian Airlines parent companies Det Norske Luftfartsselskap, Det Danske Luftfartsselskap og Aerotransport on December 1, 1988. It was merged with the new airlines Scandinavian Airlines Denmark, Scandinavian...
took over the routes, branding them Westlink. SAS has said the routes will be transferred to SAS' subsidiary Widerøe
Widerøe
Widerøe's Flyveselskap AS, trading as Widerøe, is a regional airline in Norway and part of the SAS Group. It operates a fleet of 34 Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft , serving 41 domestic and 6 international destinations...
.
Fleet
- 5 - Fokker F27-100Fokker F27The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner designed and built by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker.-Design and development:Design of the Fokker F27 started in the 1950s as a replacement to the successful Douglas DC-3 airliner...
- 2 - Fokker F27-200Fokker F27The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner designed and built by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker.-Design and development:Design of the Fokker F27 started in the 1950s as a replacement to the successful Douglas DC-3 airliner...
- 1 - Fokker F27-200FFokker F27The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner designed and built by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker.-Design and development:Design of the Fokker F27 started in the 1950s as a replacement to the successful Douglas DC-3 airliner...
- 1 - Fokker F27-300Fokker F27The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner designed and built by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker.-Design and development:Design of the Fokker F27 started in the 1950s as a replacement to the successful Douglas DC-3 airliner...
- 1 - Fokker F27-600Fokker F27The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner designed and built by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker.-Design and development:Design of the Fokker F27 started in the 1950s as a replacement to the successful Douglas DC-3 airliner...
- 5 - Fokker F50Fokker F50The Fokker 50 is a turboprop-powered airliner, designed as a refinement of and successor to the highly successful Fokker F27 Friendship. The Fokker 60 is a stretched freighter version of the Fokker 50. Both aircraft were built by Fokker in the Netherlands...
- 1 - Boeing 737-2R4CBoeing 737The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
External links
- Fleet information and code http://www.rzjets.net/operators/operator.php?opid=221