Widerøe Norsk Air

Norsk Air was established as a sole proprietorship by Øyvind Skaunfelt as Vestfoldfly in 1961, after purchasing Thor Solberg’s aviation school at Tønsberg Airport, Jarlsberg. In addition to an aviation college, the company operated various charter services using mostly Cessna aircraft. The company split into a flying school and an airline in 1972, with the latter taking the name Norsk Flytjeneste. In 1985 the company was converted to a limited company and bought by Kosmos and took the name Norsk Air (during the negotiations with Embraer, the company realized that Norsk Flytjeneste was a difficult name for foreigners, since the Brazilians could not pronounce “Flytjeneste”. When the Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia were delivered, the airline rebranded as Norsk Air). Kosmos failed in 1988 and Norsk Air was given for free to Widerøe in 1990. The airline changed name to Widerøe Norsk Air in 1991. It remained a subsidiary until 01May1996, when Widerøe Norsk Air was merged with Widerøe and ceased to exist

[ – Widerøe was established on the foundations of two small aircraft operators. The first was the company Lotsberg & Skappel. The other was Widerøe & Bjørneby, which was founded by Viggo Widerøe and Halvor Bjørneby. Widerøe was founded by Viggo Wideroe and 4 friends on 19Feb1934. Norway”s oldest airline beginning with a service between Oslo and Haugesund on 19Feb1934. Shortly after this, Wideroe began postal flights to Kirkenes on behalf of DNL. The company expanded into the cartography business in 1935. Widerøe carried out a cartography expedition to Antarctica in 1937, financed by Lars Christensen. In 1948, the company merged with Narvik-based Polarfly, and changed its name to Widerøe’s Flyveselskap & Polarfly A/S. On 01Jul1958, the company changed its name back to Widerøe’s Flyveselskap A/S. In 1969, the aerial photography division was sold to competitor Fjellanger, and the new company Fjellanger Widerøe was created and Norsk Air in 1989, which was renamed as Widerøe Norsk Air in 1991 until 1996 when it was absorbed by the parent company
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