Transwede Airways

The Transwede was a Swedish airline. The company was divided in 1996 into the airlines Transwede Airways and Transwede Leisure. From Transwede Leisure airline Blue Scandinavia emerged. The Transwede Airways was renamed Braathens Sverige 1998. From 2004 to 2010 the name Transwede Airways has been used by a company that started their aircraft on wet lease to other airlines.

AeroCENTER Trafikflyg

The origins of Transwede date back to the 1970s. In 1975, Thomas Johansson, who later became the owner of the Transwede, the company AeroCENTER Trafikflyg. Headquartered in Växjö demand airlines took in spring 1976 flight operations on a Cessna 172. The following year, two -engined business aircraft supplemented the fleet (including the Piper PA -31, Beechcraft 99, Cessna 404 and Beechcraft King Air B90 ). In April 1980 and February 1981, the Company acquired an ever Fairchild ( Fokker ) F -27 and continued this 44- seater passenger aircraft for occasional services within Sweden as well as an on flights to Denmark.

Johansson was sold in the spring of 1983 his company to the airline Swedair mainly carried out at this time requirement flights on behalf of the Coast Guard and objective representation of flights for the Swedish military. After selling the Aero Center acted as an independent subsidiary of Swedair under the name Swedair i Växjö AB. In the course of 1983, the fleet of Swedair Växjö grew to five Fairchild ( Fokker ) F-27, were operated every two of them on behalf of the Scandinavian Airlines and the Linjeflyg while you took the fifth machine for charter flights. The end of 1984, signed Thomas Johansson, the Swedair Växjö was still active as CEO, a lease agreement for renting a Sud Aviation Caravelle (LN- BSE). The aircraft should be used during the summer season 1985 on behalf of a Norwegian travel provider. Because of this contract, there was disagreement between the Board and Swedair Johansson, who then left the company. The Swedair i Växjö AB was then integrated into the parent company.

Establishing the Transwede

After the separation of the Swedair Johansson founded in the spring of 1985 for the second time its own airline. This company was initially again the name AeroCENTER Trafikflyg, but was renamed a short time later in Transwede. Transwede took on 6 March 1985, the leased Caravelle. The first use of the aircraft took place on 31 March 1985 on a charter flight from Stavanger to Haugesund on Palma de Mallorca. In November and December 1985, the Company received one further Caravelle 10B and put this 109- seater aircraft on charter flights from Stockholm to the Mediterranean one. With Finnair contracts for the maintenance of the aircraft were completed at the same time. In early 1986, supplemented two Caravelle 10R from the holdings of Hispania fleet. In the summer of 1986, the company was with the Swedish tour operator Fritidsresor to win a major customer and continue to expand. With the delivery of the first McDonnell Douglas MD -83 Transwede decreed in September 1986 on an aircraft that had the necessary range for direct flights to the major winter destinations in the Canary Islands. As of August 1988 saw the shorter MD -87, another type from the MD-80 family to use. Transwede put the MD -87, among others, on long-haul flights from Stockholm to Fort Lauderdale, where the aircraft in Gander (partly also in Keflavik ) between landed and were refueled. Miami and Barbados were added as further transatlantic destinations from 1989. In early 1989, the last two aircraft were placed on the type Caravelle decommissioned and replaced with two leased Boeing 737-200, which previously were in use at the Norwegian airline Braathens. The first machine (SE -DKG ) was passed in March 1989. This aircraft was also the first Boeing 737 ever received a Swedish registry. In the same year Transwede took a majority in the newly founded Turkish Sultan Air and leased their discarded Carvarelle to the company. The effects of the Second Gulf War in 1990 led to a recession in the tourism sector, of which the Turkish market was particularly affected. Then Transwede sold in October 1990 its shares in Turkish society. At the same time left the company founder Thomas Johansson, the company and joined the board of the Sultan Air

Commencement of air services

Already in December 1988 Transwede had applied the scheduled flight rights for domestic routes from Gothenburg to Luleå and Sundsvall, but do not get by the Swedish Government. After the liberalization of the Swedish air traffic, the Company adopted on March 14, 1991 its first scheduled flight on the route through Stockholm- London -Gatwick. From 1 July 1992, flew Transwede Liner services within Sweden, which the company became a direct competitor Scandinavian Airlines and the Linjeflyg. Initially comprised the national route network, only the cities of Gothenburg, Luleå and Umeå. In early 1993 came Halmstad and Malmö added as additional targets. The existing aircraft MD-80 series proved on these routes as clearly too large. Their low utilization made ​​a cost-covering operations impossible and caused the end of 1992 losses of 266 million crowns. In the spring, then smaller machines Fokker F-100 were ordered, which arrived on national routes used from August 1993. Despite the new aircraft, the airline continued to work deficit. The end of 1993, the losses amounted to 294 million crowns. A major reason was the sharp rise in personnel costs. Due to the numerous new routes and fleet expansion, the number of employees had increased within a year by almost 40 percent to around 800 employees. Because of the successive losses in mid-1995 some 200 employees were dismissed and returned three aircraft to the lessor. The profitability of the charter area they tried to increase 757, from the December 1995 complemented the fleet and were designed in the selected configuration for 223 passengers by using larger Boeing.

Restructuring

In early 1996, the Transwede was reorganized and divided into two separate airlines. The charter flight range was to Transwede Leisure AB, while the scheduled flight division was named Transwede Airways AB. The owner of the two companies was the ancestral society Transpool.

Transwede Airways

In September 1996, the Norwegian airline Braathens acquired a 50 percent stake in line Flight subsidiary Transwede Airways, whose fleet consisted at that time of five Fokker 100. As a supplement in 1997 leased Boeing 737-300 was used in May. The company carried 700,000 passengers in the first year of its existence. In March 1998, Braathens acquired the remaining shares in the company and became the sole owner of Transwede Airways. On 1 April 1998 the company was renamed Braathens Sverige AB. In the same year acquired Braathens Malmö Aviation with another Swedish airline. The two airlines were merged at the end of 1998 Braathens Malmö Aviation. In 2000, the airline was renamed back to Malmö Aviation. From 2004 to March 2010, Braathens group took the name Transwede Airways for a company that operate their aircraft in the so-called wet lease for European airlines. These flights were conducted under the name and the flight number of each client.

Transwede Leisure

The Transwede Leisure was acquired in 1996 by the Swedish tour operator Fritidsresor, who renamed the company on 28 October 1996 in Blue Scandinavia. In December 1997 Fritidsresor was bought along with the Blue Scandinavia by the British travel company Thomson Travel. The Thomson Group had with the Britannia Airways already a prestigious charter airline and integrated the Blue Scandinavia under the name Britannia Airways AB in the Group. From the Swedish Britannia Airways was 2005 shows the TUIfly Nordic.

Used aircraft

• Boeing 737-200 and 737-300
• Boeing 757-200
• Fokker F-100
• McDonnell Douglas MD -83 and MD -87
• Lockheed L -1011 (only Transwede Leisure)

IATA and ICAO codes

An overview of the IATA and ICAO codes used and call sign of the various companies until 1998 (if known):