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Air Botnia

Blue1
Blue1 Logo.svg
IATA ICAO Callsign
KF BLF BLUEFINN
Founded 1987
Ceased operations 2016 (merged into CityJet)
Frequent-flyer program EuroBonus
Alliance Star Alliance (affiliate)
Regional member 2004–2009
Full member 2009-2012
Affiliate member 2012-2015
Destinations 28
Parent company CityJet
Headquarters Vantaa, Finland
Key people Janne Hattula, CEO
Employees 350

Blue1 Oy was a Finnish airline owned by CityJet. It was formerly a subsidiary of the SAS Group and flew to around 28 destinations in Europe, mainly from its base at Helsinki Airport. It carried over 1.7 million passengers in 2011. The airline was a member of Star Alliance and had its head office in Vantaa.

The airline was established in 1987 and started operations in 1988 as Air Botnia, flying Embraer EMB-110 Bandeirantes on night cargo flights and on passenger services from Helsinki to Kauhajoki and Seinäjoki. It started to supplement its unpressurised Bandeirantes with leased British Aerospace Jetstream 31s in 1993, but cash flow problems in the summer of 1995 caused British Aerospace to repossess the Jetstreams and brought Air Botnia to the point of bankruptcy, with last minute negotiations needed to save the airline, which continued operations in a reduced scale.

The airline was purchased by SAS Group in January 1998, who replaced its Jetstreams with Saab 340s later that year. Air Botnia received its first jets, Fokker F28 Fellowships, in 1999. The elderly F28s were soon replaced as their high noise levels restricted operations, with Avro RJ85s being received in 2001. The Saab 340s were replaced by larger Saab 2000s at the same time.

Air Botnia was renamed Blue1 in January 2004, and joined Star Alliance as its first regional member on 3 November 2004. Blue1 became a full member of Star Alliance on 1 January 2010/2009. Blue1 left Star Alliance in November 2012 and became an affiliate of Scandinavian Airlines.


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