Braathens Regional Airlines

Swedish airline

Braganza AB (81%)
AMF Tjänstepension AB (19%)

Number of employees

400SubsidiariesBraathens Regional Airways
Braathens International AirwaysWebsiteflygbra.se

BRA Sverige AB, trading as Braathens Regional Airlines, often shortended to BRA (Swedish for "Good"), is a Swedish virtual airline headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, with its main operational base at Stockholm Bromma Airport.

Established in 2016, the airline was created to unify the brands of Malmö Aviation and Sverigeflyg under a single identity for the Swedish domestic market.^[1]^[2] BRA does not hold an Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) or operate its own aircraft; instead, it charters aircraft and crews from its sister companies, Braathens Regional Airways and Braathens International Airways.^[3]

History

Predecessors and Formation

In 2007, Braganza formed Braathens Aviation as a holding company for its aviation ventures in Sweden, including Malmö Aviation.^[4] By 2012, Braganza acquired Golden Air, a regional airline in Sweden, which was subsequently rebranded as Braathens Regional Airlines in 2013. The consolidation continued with Braganza’s acquisition of approximately 80% of Sverigeflyg in 2011. Full ownership was achieved by 2013, integrating Sverigeflyg’s routes into the Braathens network.^[5]^[6]

In February 2016, Braathens Regional Airlines was officially established following the merger of Malmö Aviation and Sverigeflyg.^[7]

COVID-19 Pandemic

From early April 2020 until late May 2020, BRA suspended all flights in response to a sharp decrease in demand due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, and the Swedish Government and Public Health Agency's recommendation that people not travel around the country.^[8] BRA filed in court for a debt restructuring on 6 April 2020.^[9] BRA relaunched limited charter operations on October 1, 2020, and then resumed scheduled domestic operations later in the final quarter of 2020.^[10]^[11]

Investment and Restructuring

On October 15, 2021, Swedish pension fund AMF announced a SEK 200 million investment in Braathens Regional Airlines, securing a 19% stake in the company.^[12]

Between 2022 and 2024, BRA undertook significant restructuring efforts to address financial and operational challenges.^[13] In October 2023, BRA applied for creditor protection in Sweden for seven of its thirteen affiliated companies. The restructuring plan, approved by creditors and the Solna District Court in February 2024, included a SEK 114 million investment from existing shareholders.^[14]

During this period, BRA focused on three main areas: domestic flights within Sweden, charter services, and ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance) agreements. The airline also obtained a second Air Operator Certificate (AOC) for the newly formed Braathens International Airways, which focuses on charter flights.^[15]

Destinations

The following destinations are marketed by BRA as of September 2022:^[16]

Country	City	Airport	Notes	Refs
Denmark	Aarhus	Aarhus Airport
Finland	Helsinki	Helsinki Airport
Sweden	Gothenburg	Göteborg Landvetter Airport
	Halmstad	Halmstad Airport
	Kalmar	Kalmar Airport
	Kristianstad	Kristianstad Airport	Begins 27 August 2023	^[17]
	Malmö	Malmö Airport
	Norrköping	Norrköping Airport	Seasonal
	Ronneby	Ronneby Airport
	Sälen	Scandinavian Mountains Airport	Seasonal
	Skellefteå	Skellefteå Airport
	Stockholm	Stockholm Bromma Airport	Hub
	Umeå	Umeå Airport
	Visby	Visby Airport
	Växjö	Växjö Småland Airport
	Ängelholm	Ängelholm–Helsingborg Airport
	Östersund	Åre Östersund Airport

Codeshare agreements

BRA Braathens Regional Airlines has codeshare agreements with the following airlines (as of February 2020):^{[citation needed]}

Fleet

As of February 2024, the BRA Braathens Regional Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft:^[18]

BRA Braathens Regional Airlines fleet
Aircraft	In service	Orders	Passengers	Notes
ATR 72-600	14	—	72	operated by Braathens Regional Airways
Airbus A319-100	4	—	144	operated by Braathens International Airways
Airbus A320-200	2	—	180	operated by Braathens International Airways
Total	20	—

References

^ "Braathens Aviation wird BRA: Airline wählt Namen, den es schon gibt". aeroTELEGRAPH. 2016-09-01. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
^ "Flygbolag i Sverige med Operativ Licens (OL)". Svenskaflygbolag.com. Archived from the original on 2016-09-21. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
^ Popovic, Vanja (14 Mar 2024). "Sweden's BRA completes latest bout of restructuring".
^ "History". www.braganza.com. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
^ "Braganza flyttar till Sverige". Realtid (in Swedish). 2014-07-30. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
^ "Behance". Behance. March 2016. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
^ "Med planen att lyfta landets inrikesresor". 2016-04-19.
^ Mayberry, Kate; Uras, Umut; Najjah, Farah (2 April 2020). "Global coronavirus cases surpass 900,000: Live updates". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 2 April 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
^ Somnell, Mikaela; Ahmadi Högfeldt, Farida (6 April 2020). "Flygbolaget BRA hotas av konkurs". SVT Nyheter.
^ Editor, Business (2024-03-20). "BRA – Braathens Regional Airlines Completes Restructuring and Plans Fleet Expansion". Retrieved 2024-09-01. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
^ "Sweden's BRA to relaunch international flights in 3Q21 - ch-aviation". archive.is. 2024-09-01. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
^ "AMF investerar i flygbolaget BRA | Placera". www.placera.se. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
^ "Sweden's BRA completes latest bout of restructuring - ch-aviation". archive.is. 2024-09-01. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
^ Orban, André (2024-03-15). "Braathens Regional Airlines successfully concludes restructuring process". Aviation24.be. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
^ "BRA – Braathens Regional Airlines: after restructuring, life goes on". CAPA - Centre for Aviation. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
^ flygbra.se - Destinationer (Swedish) retrieved 4 September 2022
^ "BRA Adds Vaxjo – Kristianstad from late-August 2023".
^ "BRA - Braathens Regional Airlines Fleet Details and History". www.flygbra.se. Retrieved 12 Dec 2023.