Teddy Air
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| Founded | 1989 | ||||||
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| Ceased operations | 2004 | ||||||
| Hubs | Skien Airport, Geiteryggen | ||||||
| Headquarters | Skien, Norway | ||||||
Teddy Air AS was a regional airline, based at Skien Airport, Geiteryggen, in Norway. Operating between 1989 and 2004, the company operated Britten-Norman Islander, Embraer 110 and Saab 340 aircraft. The company started by providing a scheduled service between Skien and Oslo in 1990, followed by services to Stavanger in 1993 and Bergen in 1994. In 1996, it won a contract with the Ministry of Transport from Oslo to Fagernes. It was involved in intense competition with other regional airlines, notably Coast Air and Guard Air, following the deregulation of the aviation market. It also had a single international service to Gothenburg, and from 1999 it served Stord Airport, Sørstokken. From 1999, the company was transformed to a virtual airline, which wet leased aircraft from Golden Air. The company ceased operations in 2004.
In April 1988, Norwegian regional airline Norving terminated all scheduled services in Southern Norway. As a consequence, airports such as Skien Airport, Geiteryggen, were left without an airline and services to the capital, Oslo. Teddy Air was subsequently established as a Skien-based company to provide an air route between Skien and Oslo Airport, Fornebu. Founded by Harald Sørensen in 1989, the largest owners were Skien Business Development Fund and Telemark Business Development Fund. It would provide four round trips with a Britten-Norman Islander. The company stated that it needed 8,000 passengers annually to cover costs, with the ticket price set at about 500 Norwegian krone (NOK). The fiercest competition would come from the Vestfold Line of the Norwegian State Railways, where a train from Skien to Oslo ran each hour. The three-hour train trip cost NOK 167, compared to the 25-minute flight. Concession was granted by the Ministry of Transport and Communications in August 1989, but the airline did not commence operations until 18 July 1990.
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