Blue1Oywas aFinnishairlineowned byCityJet.[1][2]It was a subsidiary of theSAS Groupand flew to around 28 destinations in Europe,[3]mainly from its base atHelsinki Airport.It carried over 1.7 million passengers in 2011.[3]The airline was a member ofStar Allianceand had its head office inVantaa.[4][5][6]
 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Founded | 1987 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceased operations | 2016 (merged intoCityJet) | ||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | EuroBonus | ||||||
| Alliance | Star Alliance(affiliate) Regional member 2004–2009 Full member 2009–2012 Affiliate member 2012–2015 | ||||||
| Fleet size | 17 | ||||||
| Destinations | 28 | ||||||
| Parent company | CityJet | ||||||
| Headquarters | Vantaa,Finland | ||||||
| Key people | Janne Hattula,CEO | ||||||
| Employees | 350 | ||||||
History
edit
Early years
editThe airline was established in 1987 and started operations in 1988 asAir Botnia,flyingEmbraer EMB-110 Bandeiranteson night cargo flights and on passenger services fromHelsinkitoKauhajokiandSeinäjoki.[7]It started to supplement its unpressurised Bandeirantes with leasedBritish Aerospace Jetstream 31sin 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, but it continued operations in a reduced scale.[8]
The airline was purchased by SAS Group in January 1998, who replaced its Jetstreams withSaab 340slater 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, withAvro RJ85sbeing received in 2001. The Saab 340s were replaced by largerSaab 2000sat the same time.[9]
Development since 2004
editAir Botnia was renamed Blue1 in January 2004,[10]and joinedStar Allianceas its first regional member on 3 November 2004. Blue1 became a full member ofStar Allianceon 1 January 2009. Blue1 left Star Alliance in November 2012 and became an affiliate ofScandinavian Airlines.
In 2005 Blue1 became the second-largest Finnish airline with more than 100 daily flights and the biggest operator between Finland and the Nordic nations Sweden, Denmark and Norway. In 2006 Blue1 started 10 new non-stop routes to Europe increasing its total capacity by more than 50%. In 2008 Blue1 moved its London operations from Stansted toHeathrow Airport,and expanded its domestic business routes. In 2009 new routes toLapland,including Paris-Kittilä were opened for the winter season and routes to Biarritz, Dubrovnik and Split for summer travel.
Blue1 was the first network airline in Northern Europe to be granted ISO 14001 environmental certificate.[11]On 1 November 2012, Blue1 became a service producer for SAS. This means that marketing and sales were then handled by SAS and its flights carried the SAS flight prefix "SK".
In March 2015, it was announced that Blue1 was to sell their entire fleet ofBoeing 717-200stoVoloteaandDelta Air Linesand was to replace them withBoeing 737-600sfrom its parent,Scandinavian Airlines,[12]however Scandinavian Airlines later cancelled the plan and considered to transfer someBombardier CRJ900fromCimber.[13]
In October 2015,Scandinavian Airlines(SAS) announced the sale of Blue1 toCityJet,which was to operate the company on behalf of SAS as part of a larger relationship.[14]In December 2015, Blue1 did not operate any aircraft and its own website has been redirected toSAS's website.[15]In 2016, Blue1 was dissolved and merged into its new parent CityJet.[2]
Fleet
edit
Last fleet
editAs of December 2015 - before its actual dissolution - Blue1 did not operate any aircraft as theBoeing 717-200spreviously operated had been phased out without replacement.
Retired fleet
editPreviously Blue1 also operated the following aircraft types:
| Aircraft type | Years active |
|---|---|
| Boeing 717-200[16][17] | 2010–2015 |
| ATR-72[16] | 2009–2012 |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-90[16] | 2006–2011 |
| Avro RJ100[16] | 2003–2009 |
| Avro RJ85[16] | 2003–2013 |
| Saab 2000[16] | 2001–2006 |
| Fokker F28[citation needed] | 1999–2001 |
| Saab 340[citation needed] | 1998–2001 |
| Jetstream 31[citation needed] | 1993–1998 |
| Embraer EMB-110 Bandeirante[citation needed] | 1987–1993 |
| Cessna 402[citation needed] | 1987–1988 |
Onboard services
editBlue1 offered two service classes, Economy and Economy Extra (previously Blue1 Premium).[18]
- Economy Class: Coffee and tea were included on all Blue1 operated flights. Sandwiches and other drinks were available for purchase from "Cafe1".[19]Flights with short flight time had reduced service.
- Economy Extra: Fast Track security and Business Class check-in was included where available.
References
editCitations
edit- ^"Blue1 Oy".Business Information System.Helsinki: The National Board of Patents and Registration and the Tax Administration, Finland. Archived fromthe originalon 20 July 2011.Retrieved10 February2011.
- ^ab"Blue 1 on ch-aviation".
- ^abAnnual Report 2011Archived20 February 2014 at theWayback Machinesasannualreport2011 Retrieved 22 August 2013.
- ^"Blue1".Star Alliance.Retrieved15 January2012.
- ^"Blue1 Head officeArchived25 August 2012 at theWayback Machine."blue1. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
- ^"Privacy PolicyArchived10 March 2012 at theWayback Machine."Blue1. Retrieved 25 February 2010." or by visiting Rahtitie 3, 01530 Vantaa in person, where also the description of the data file is available for review. "
- ^Pagiola 2004, p. 42.
- ^Pagliola 2004, pp. 42–43.
- ^Pagiola 2004, p. 44.
- ^Pagliola 2004, p. 45.
- ^Flight International27 March 2007
- ^"Finland's Blue to offload B717 fleet to Volotea, Delta".
- ^"Flygtorget » Flygnyheter » Flygnyheter » Inga Boeing 737 till Blue1".
- ^businesswire - SAS Enters into Agreements with Cityjet for Wet Lease and Sale of Blue11 October 2015
- ^ch-aviation - Blue1retrieved 20 December 2015
- ^abcdef"Blue1 Fleet Details and History".planespotters.net. 25 May 2015.Retrieved29 May2015.
- ^"Blue1 aircraft types".Archived fromthe originalon 8 May 2012.Retrieved6 July2012.
- ^"Blue1 Premium".blue1.Retrieved16 September2011.
- ^"Mmmmmmm Mmmmmenu"(PDF).blue1. Autumn 2011.Retrieved13 September2011.
Bibliography
edit- Pagiola, Stefano. (October 2004) "Stars in Their Eyes: Finland's Blue 1 Regional Airline".Air International,Vol 67 No 4. pp. 42–45.
External links
edit
Media related toBlue1at Wikimedia Commons
