SAS Commuter
Encyclopedia
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 Airlines Sweden and SAS Braathens
in 2004. Its head office was in Kastrup
, Tårnby Municipality, Denmark
.
The airline operated under four brand names
Though the operations of Westlink are merged with SAS Braathens, the SAS Group has said they want to merge the Norwegian regional operations with Widerøe
.
aircraft from Stockholm Arlanda.
Eurolink started in 1988 and served domestic and short-haul international destinations from Copenhagen Airport
.
Norlink stated operations in Northern Norway in 1990, at first with 7 Fokker 50, reduced to 5 in 1993. The first few years Norlink had major problems with regularity, until it opened a technical base at Trondheim Airport, Værnes
in 1995. Following the SAS takeover of Braathens
in 2002 Norlink division was moved from Tromsø
to Bergen and renamed Westlink. After 1986 when Braathens
had sold its last Fokker F-27 turboprop
s, the airline had wet-leased operations on the routes between Kristiansund - Stavanger - Haugesund - Bergen - Molde - Kristiansund - Trondheim, at first from its subsidiary Busy Bee
and from 1993 from the independent operator Norwegian Air Shuttle
. After the take-over SAS wanted to operate the routes themselves, and moved six Fokker 50 aircraft from Tromsø to Bergen. At the same time the operations previously operated by Norlink were taken over by SAS subsidiary Widerøe
who operate public service obligation
(PSO) routes in Northern Norway. Widerøe has operated the old Norlink routes with Dash-8-300 aircraft.
Starting in 2000 the airline replaced its fleet of aircraft in Sweden and Denmark
with 24 brand new Bombardier
Dash 8 Q400 aircraft seating 72 or 58 people. The company kept its Fokker aircraft in Norway, where it still operates six. As part of a company reorganisation in 2001 SAS Commuter became a subsidiary of SAS Group.
In September 2004 the group reorganised and the operations were transferred to the national operation companies, Scandinavian Airlines Denmark, Scandinavian Airlines Sweden and SAS Braathens in Norway.
Regional airline
Regional airlines are airlines that operate regional aircraft to provide passenger air service to communities without sufficient demand to attract mainline service...
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 Airlines Sweden and SAS Braathens
SAS Braathens
SAS Braathens was the name of Norway's largest airline, created by a merger between Scandinavian Airlines' Norwegian division and Braathens in 2004. On June 1, 2007, the airline was integrated into mainline SAS, and changed its name to SAS Scandinavian Airlines Norge...
in 2004. Its head office was in Kastrup
Kastrup
Kastrup is a suburb of Copenhagen, on the east coast of Amager in the Tårnby Municipality.Kastrup is best known as the site of Copenhagen Airport. In Danish, the airport is often called Kastrup Lufthavn or Københavns Lufthavn, Kastrup .Scandinavian Airlines System has its Denmark offices in Kastrup...
, Tårnby Municipality, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
.
The airline operated under four brand names
- Eurolink served the SAS' hub Copenhagen AirportCopenhagen AirportCopenhagen Airport is the main international airport serving Copenhagen, Denmark and the Oresund Region. It is located on the island of Amager, south of Copenhagen city centre, and west of Malmö city centre on the other side of the Oresund Bridge. The airport lies mainly in the municipality...
on short-haul routes too small for jet operation. - Norlink operated in Northern Norway on regional non-subsidy routes. The routes were transferred to Widerøe in 2003.
- Swelink operated regional routes in SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. - Westlink took over the regional routes on the Norwegian West Coast in 2003, after SAS bought BraathensBraathensBraathens ASA, until 1997 Braathens South American & Far East Airtransport A/S and trading as Braathens SAFE, is a former Norwegian airline that operated from 1946 until it merged with Scandinavian Airlines Norway to become SAS Braathens in 2004. The airline was based in Oslo, first at Fornebu,...
.
Though the operations of Westlink are merged with SAS Braathens, the SAS Group has said they want to merge the Norwegian regional operations with 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...
.
History
SAS Commuter was started by the owners of SAS to have a separate company to operate regional services. The airline acquired at them most 22 Fokker 50. The aircraft had 50 seats in Norway and 46 in Denmark. Swelink also operated six Saab 2000Saab 2000
|-See also:-References:* Lambert, Mark. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1993–94. Coulsdon, UK:Jane's Data Division, 1993. ISBN 0 7106 1066 1....
aircraft from Stockholm Arlanda.
Eurolink started in 1988 and served domestic and short-haul international destinations from Copenhagen Airport
Copenhagen Airport
Copenhagen Airport is the main international airport serving Copenhagen, Denmark and the Oresund Region. It is located on the island of Amager, south of Copenhagen city centre, and west of Malmö city centre on the other side of the Oresund Bridge. The airport lies mainly in the municipality...
.
Norlink stated operations in Northern Norway in 1990, at first with 7 Fokker 50, reduced to 5 in 1993. The first few years Norlink had major problems with regularity, until it opened a technical base at Trondheim Airport, Værnes
Trondheim Airport, Værnes
Trondheim Airport, Værnes is an international airport located in Stjørdal, east of Trondheim, Norway. Operated by the state-owned Avinor, it shares facilities with Værnes Air Station of the Royal Norwegian Air Force. In 2010, the airport had 3,521,734 passengers and 55,747 air movements,...
in 1995. Following the SAS takeover of Braathens
Braathens
Braathens ASA, until 1997 Braathens South American & Far East Airtransport A/S and trading as Braathens SAFE, is a former Norwegian airline that operated from 1946 until it merged with Scandinavian Airlines Norway to become SAS Braathens in 2004. The airline was based in Oslo, first at Fornebu,...
in 2002 Norlink division was moved from Tromsø
Tromsø
Tromsø is a city and municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.Tromsø city is the ninth largest urban area in Norway by population, and the seventh largest city in Norway by population...
to Bergen and renamed Westlink. After 1986 when Braathens
Braathens
Braathens ASA, until 1997 Braathens South American & Far East Airtransport A/S and trading as Braathens SAFE, is a former Norwegian airline that operated from 1946 until it merged with Scandinavian Airlines Norway to become SAS Braathens in 2004. The airline was based in Oslo, first at Fornebu,...
had sold its last Fokker F-27 turboprop
Turboprop
A turboprop engine is a type of turbine engine which drives an aircraft propeller using a reduction gear.The gas turbine is designed specifically for this application, with almost all of its output being used to drive the propeller...
s, the airline had wet-leased operations on the routes between Kristiansund - Stavanger - Haugesund - Bergen - Molde - Kristiansund - Trondheim, at first from its subsidiary Busy Bee
Busy Bee
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 from 1993 from the independent operator 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...
. After the take-over SAS wanted to operate the routes themselves, and moved six Fokker 50 aircraft from Tromsø to Bergen. At the same time the operations previously operated by Norlink were taken over by 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...
who operate public service obligation
Public Service Obligation
In transport, public service obligation or PSO is an arrangement in which a governing body or other authority offers an auction for subsidies, permit the winning company a monopoly to operate a specified service of public transport for a specified period of time for the given subsidy...
(PSO) routes in Northern Norway. Widerøe has operated the old Norlink routes with Dash-8-300 aircraft.
Starting in 2000 the airline replaced its fleet of aircraft in Sweden and Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
with 24 brand new Bombardier
Bombardier Aerospace
Bombardier Aerospace is a division of Bombardier Inc. and is the third-largest airplane manufacturer in the world. It is headquartered in Dorval, Quebec, Canada.- History :...
Dash 8 Q400 aircraft seating 72 or 58 people. The company kept its Fokker aircraft in Norway, where it still operates six. As part of a company reorganisation in 2001 SAS Commuter became a subsidiary of SAS Group.
In September 2004 the group reorganised and the operations were transferred to the national operation companies, Scandinavian Airlines Denmark, Scandinavian Airlines Sweden and SAS Braathens in Norway.
Fleet
At the time the airline was merged into the national airlines, it had the following fleet| Image | Manufactuer | Aircraft | Quanity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bombardier Bombardier Aerospace Bombardier Aerospace is a division of Bombardier Inc. and is the third-largest airplane manufacturer in the world. It is headquartered in Dorval, Quebec, Canada.- History :... |
Q400 | 24 | |
| 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.... |
F27 Fokker F27 The 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... |
9 | |
| 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.... |
50 | 22 | |
| — | Saab Saab Saab AB is a Swedish aerospace and defence company, founded in 1937. From 1947 to 1990 it was the parent company of automobile manufacturer Saab Automobile, and between 1968 and 1995 the company was in a merger with commercial vehicle manufacturer Scania, known as Saab-Scania.-History:"Svenska... |
SF340A Saab 340 The Saab 340 is a discontinued Swedish two-engine turboprop aircraft designed and initially produced by a partnership between Saab and Fairchild Aircraft in a 65:35 ratio... |
1 |
| Saab Saab Saab AB is a Swedish aerospace and defence company, founded in 1937. From 1947 to 1990 it was the parent company of automobile manufacturer Saab Automobile, and between 1968 and 1995 the company was in a merger with commercial vehicle manufacturer Scania, known as Saab-Scania.-History:"Svenska... |
2000 Saab 2000 |-See also:-References:* Lambert, Mark. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1993–94. Coulsdon, UK:Jane's Data Division, 1993. ISBN 0 7106 1066 1.... |
6 |