Wikipedia

Nordic Regional Airlines

This article is about the Finnish airline. For the former Swedish regional airline, see Nordic Regional.

Nordic Regional Airlines Oy (abbreviated as Norra and often stylised as N°RRA, previously Flybe Nordic[4]) is a Finnish regional airline based on the grounds of Helsinki Airport. Norra is owned as a joint venture by Finnair, Finland's flag carrier, and Danish Air Transport.[2][5]

Nordic Regional Airlines
IATA ICAO Call sign
N7 FCM[1] FINNCOMM
Founded2011 (2011)
(as Flybe Nordic)
Commenced operationsMay 2015 (2015-05)
(as Nordic Regional Airlines)
HubsHelsinki Airport
Frequent-flyer programFinnair Plus
AllianceOneworld (affiliate)
Fleet size24
Destinations35
Parent company
HeadquartersVantaa, Finland
Employeesc. 650[3]
Websitewww.flynorra.com

The airline began operations as Flybe Nordic on 20 October 2011 as a joint venture between Flybe and Finnair, following their acquisition of Finncomm Airlines. Flybe sold its 60% to Finnair as a temporary solution at a price of one euro (€1) in March 2015, which was sold three years later to Danish Air Transport.[2] The airline has operated under Finnair's flight code since 1 May 2015. The company's head office and operations centre is located in Vantaa, Finland, while the office in Seinäjoki houses the company's financial division.[6]

History

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ATR 72-500 in former Flybe Nordic livery

The creation of the airline was announced on 1 July 2011, when Flybe and Finnair revealed plans to jointly purchase Finncomm Airlines (FCA) and rebrand the airline Flybe Nordic, with Flybe and Finnair each holding a stake in the new airline.[7] Under the terms of the agreement, the purchase price of Finncomm was €25 million, of which Flybe would pay €12 million and Finnair €13 million.[8] Flybe has a majority stake in Flybe Nordic, holding a 60% stake in the airline, with Finnair holding the remaining 40%; Flybe has three seats on the airline's board of directors with Finnair having the other two.[8] Flybe planned to invest a total of €23.6 million into the new airline, including expenses such as loan repayments in addition to the purchase price of FCA.[9]

At the time of the announcement of Flybe Nordic's creation, Flybe planned to begin operating the new airline on 1 August 2011, with the FCA name being phased out,[7] though the start date was later pushed back to 30 October.[10] A new route network was also planned to be announced in mid-August.[8]

In November 2014, Flybe announced that it would sell its 60% stake in the airline for €1 in an effort to reduce group costs.[11] In February 2015, the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority approved the sale of its stake (60%) to StaffPoint Holding and G.W. Sohlberg.[12] Flybe sold its share to Finnair as a temporary solution in March 2015. The airline has operated under Finnair's flight code since 1 May 2015.[13] In May 2015, Flybe Nordic was rebranded as Nordic Regional Airlines.[14]

Destinations

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Nordic Regional Airlines head office in Vantaa
Main article: List of Nordic Regional Airlines destinations

Codeshare agreements

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As of November 2014, the airline has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:[15]

Fleet

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Norra ATR-72-500
Norra Embraer 190LR

Current fleet

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Nordic Regional Airlines's fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of August 2019):[16][needs update]

Aircraft In Service Orders Passengers Notes
J Y Total
ATR 72-500 12 — — 68 68 leased from Finnair[17][7]
70 70
Embraer 190LR 12 — 12 88 100 operated for Finnair
Total 24 —

Historic fleet

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Now phased out Norra ATR-42-500
Nordic Regional Airlines Historic Fleet
Aircraft Introduced Retired
ATR 42-500 2005 2014
Embraer 170 2005 2016

Subsidiaries

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Flybe Finland Ground

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In April 2013, it was announced that Flybe Finland Ground will be established to provide ground services to Flybe operations in Finland. This business will initially focus on Helsinki Airport where it will develop services to support Flybe's own operations. In the future, Flybe Finland Ground will also offer ground services to other airlines in Finland and overseas.[18]

Flybe Finland Maintenance

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The former Finnish Aircraft Maintenance has operated as Flybe Finland Maintenance since April 2013. It provides maintenance services for regional aircraft, in particular ATR 72 aircraft at Helsinki Airport.

References

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  1. ^ "Nordic Regional Airlines Profile | CAPA".
  2. ^ a b c "DAT to acquire 60% share in Nordic Regional Airlines". Aerospace Technology. 31 August 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  3. ^ "About Us | N°Rra".
  4. ^ "Finland's Flybe. Nordic rebrands as Nordic Regional Airlines". ch-aviation.com. 21 June 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  5. ^ "US | N°RRA". flynorra.com. Retrieved 2018-01-01.
  6. ^ "About Us." Nordic Regional Airlines. Retrieved on October 25, 2016. "Nordic Regional Airlines Oy Öljykuja 2, 01530 Vantaa, Finland"
  7. ^ a b c "New Nordic carrier to emerge from Flybe-Finnair tie-up". Flightglobal.com. 1 July 2011. Archived from the original on 1 August 2011. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  8. ^ a b c "Flybe, Finnair To Acquire A Nordic Airline". Aviation Week. 1 July 2011. Retrieved 5 July 2011.[permanent dead link‍]
  9. ^ "UPDATE 2-Finnair, Flybe to buy Finnish regional carrier". Reuters UK. 1 July 2011. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 4 July 2011.
  10. ^ "Flybe Nordic Starts Operating 30 October". Scandasia.com. 25 August 2011. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
  11. ^ Lewin, Joel (12 November 2014). "Flybe agrees to sell Finnish division for €1". Financial Times. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
  12. ^ "Finnish regulator okays Flybe. Nordic's sell off". Ch-aviation. 4 February 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
  13. ^ "Flybe Finland to fly under the Finnair code starting on May 1". World Airline News. 5 March 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  14. ^ "Flybe Finland to rebrand as Nordic Regional Airlines in May". Air Transport World. 22 April 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  15. ^ "Flybe Franchises - Codeshares | Flybe UK".
  16. ^ "Global Airline Guide 2019 (Part One)". Airliner World (October 2019): 14.
  17. ^ "Finnair leases ATR to Flybe Nordic (now Nordic Regional Airlines)". Archived from the original on 2015-07-25. Retrieved 2015-07-23.
  18. ^ "Fast-growing Flybe Finland establishes new business unit". Invest in EU. 5 April 2013. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
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