BRA - Braathens Regional Airlines (Stockholm Bromma) will discontinue its scheduled passenger operations out of Stockholm Bromma at the end of 2024 in favour of a new, seven-year ACMI contract with SAS Scandinavian Airlines (SK, Copenhagen Kastrup).
The Swedish regional carrier said that demand for scheduled services in the domestic market in Sweden was still significantly below pre-pandemic levels.
"We are now investing in the business area that has the best market conditions. Our focus right now is to fly our customers as usual until the end of the year. From next year, we will fly passengers, but not sell the tickets ourselves," CEO Ulrika Matsgård said.
The airline vowed to increase its fleet and staff as it transitions to a fully-fledged ACMI/charter specialist, but it did not disclose any details or respond to ch-aviation's questions. The seven-year deal with SAS is worth around SEK6 billion kronor (USD590 million).
BRA currently operates twelve ATR72-600s on scheduled flights out of Bromma to 12 destinations in Sweden, Aarhus in Denmark, and Lyon St. Exupéry in France. A further two aircraft of the type are currently wet-leased to Austrian Airlines. The ATR - Avions de Transport Régional turboprops are placed on the technical AOC of BRA - Braathens Regional Airways. A second AOC, Braathens International Airways, operates four A319-100s and three A320-200s on a mix of ACMI and charter contracts, including two currently operating on behalf of BRA out of Bromma.
SAS said BRA would be operating "several" aircraft on its behalf, mainly out of the Stockholm Arlanda hub, but also feeding the Copenhagen Kastrup hub. It will begin flying for the mainline carrier on January 1, 2025.
"By integrating BRA's expertise and fleet, we are not only enhancing Swedish infrastructure but also positioning Arlanda as a stronger central hub for domestic and international travel. This collaboration will significantly improve connectivity, allowing us to offer more seamless and frequent services between major cities and regional destinations," CEO Anko van der Werff said.
The Scandinavian carrier currently wet-leases seven ATR72-600s and seven CRJ900s from Xfly (Estonia), and fourteen more CRJ900s from CityJet under long-term agreements. Its regional fleet also comprises ten E195s operated in-house through SAS Link (SVS, Copenhagen Kastrup). The airline did not respond to ch-aviation's questions as to whether the BRA agreement would replace either the Xfly or the CityJet partnership.
