Braathens a name again in international aviation
Per G. Braathens’ aviation-related businesses are being organised as Braathens Aviation, a corporate group of six companies:- Malmö Aviation
- Transwede Airways
- Braathens Technical
- Braathens Training
- Braathens Leasing
- Branova
The new group includes two airlines, Malmö Aviation and Transwede Airways. Highly advanced aviation technology is represented with Braathens Technical, which carries out maintenance for airlines within the group as well as third parties and has more than 100 employees. Braathens Training, a worldwide provider of pilot training for various types of aircraft, is also a Braathens Aviation company.
Branova, the group’s corporate IT enterprise, develops and sells IT services for the aviation industry.
Braathens Leasing is an aircraft leasing company that is expanding and developing the business built by the parent company Braganza over many years.
Knut A. Solberg, CEO of the Braathens Aviation Group, says, “The goal is to sustain the powerful growth achieved by the individual companies in recent years while creating greater opportunities to utilise synergies among the various operations.”
The group generated sales of SEK 1.6 billion and net profit of SEK 60 million in 2006. The company is forecasting sales of SEK 1.8 billion and net profit of SEK 140 million in 2007. The group employs about 700 men and women. For more information, visit www.braathens.eu.
For further information, please contact:
Per G. Braathen +47 (0)97 100 700
Knut A. Solberg +46 (0)70 290 29 51
Pictures: http://www.avocado.se/malmoaviation or http://malmoaviation.resolutmrm.com/redirect_malmoaviation.asp?UID=mapress&PWD=mapress
About Braathens Aviation
Braathens Aviation will generate sales of about SEK 1.8 billion with forecast net profit of about SEK 140 million in 2007. The company has about 700 employees and 15 aircraft in service. For more information, visit www.braathens.eu.Malmö Aviation AB Malmö Aviation is the second-largest airline in Sweden. The company is forecasting sales of SEK 1.4 billion, net profit in excess of SEK 112 million and 1.1 million passengers in 2007. Malmö Aviation’s main business is scheduled domestic service from Stockholm/Bromma Airport to Malmö, Göteborg and Umeå, with an approximate market share of 35%. In addition to regularly scheduled service, the company provides charter service to more than 60 destinations in Europe. The fleet consists of nine modern Avro RJ100 aircraft, four-engine jets that seat 112 passengers and meet the stringent noise standards applicable to urban airports. The aircraft are among the most fuel-efficient planes used in the aviation industry. For more information, visit www.malmoaviation.se.
Transwede Airways AB
Transwede is a rapidly growing airline whose mission is ACMI/wet leasing operations of aircraft for other airlines, with focus on London City Airport. The company is currently flying with four aircraft but the fleet will be expanded in autumn 2007 to a total of six aircraft of the Avro RJ70 and Avro RJ85 types. All six aircraft are modern four-engine jets. Sales of SEK 170 million and net profit of more than SEK 15 million are expected in 2007. The company has 115 employees. For more information, visit www.transwede.com.
Braathens Technical AB
Braathens Technical is essentially the former technical operations division of Malmö Aviation, which has been operating as a separate profit centre since 2006. The company’s business has grown powerfully in recent years and Braathens Technical is expected to generate sales of SEK 287 million in 2007, with a workforce of about 100. While the company’s main focus is maintaining the Braathens Aviation fleet, sales of services to third parties are expected to account for more than 50% of the company's sale.
Braathens Training AB
Braathens Training evolved from the Type Rating Training business that has been operating as a Malmö Aviation profit centre since 2006. Sales of SEK 30 million are expected in 2007 and about 160 pilots from 10 airlines will complete training and type rating during the year.
www.braathenstraining.com
Braathens Leasing AB
Braathens Leasing is a new company that currently owns two Avro RJ85 aircraft. The business is based on the longstanding experience in the aircraft leasing industry of Braganza AS, parent company of Braathens Aviation. Braganza is the former owner of the Norwegian airline Braathens ASA. The company’s heavyweight expertise in aircraft financing and management and extensive networks in the aviation industry provide Braathens Leasing excellent prospects for favourable development. For more information, visit www.braganza.com.
Branova AS
Branova is a provider of IT services to the aviation industry. Opened in 2002, the company developed very rapidly in the initial phase. Branova currently provides a complete range of solutions to airlines and has strong prospects for significantly expanding its customer base in the next few years. For several years, Malmö Aviation has deployed Branova’s IT solutions, which deliver optimal performance. The company generated sales of NOK 8 million in 2006 with 10 employees. For more information, visit www.branova.no.
Management
Executive management of Braathens Aviation companies:- Per G. Braathen is Owner and Chairman of the Board of Braathens Aviation. Braathen has worked in the travel and airline business for more than 20 years and has had positions such as Chairman of the Board/CEO of Always, Saga and Tjaereborg as well as the airlines Busy Bee, Malmö Aviation and Transwede. Today’s board assignments include Braathens Aviation AS, Braganza AS, Kristiansand Dyrepark Utvikling AS, SunHotels ltd, Saga Asset Management AS, Scandic Hotels AB and Arken Hemdjurshandlarna AB.
- Knut A. Solberg will be the Chief Executive Officer of Braathens Aviation. Solberg has more than 25 years’ experience in the aviation industry, including as CEO of SAS Commuter and the Norwegian Braathens, and most recently as President and CEO of Malmö Aviation.
- Bengt Roswall will be the new General Manager of Malmö Aviation. Roswall has more than 25 years’ experience in the Swedish travel industry, most recently as Senior Vice President, Commercial, for Malmö Aviation.
- Trygve Gjertsen was appointed General Manager of Transwede in January 2007. Gjertsen has extensive experience in the aviation industry at both SAS and Braathens.
- Peter Zachrison will be the General Manager of Braathens Technical. Zachrison has worked with aircraft for more than 20 years, most recently as Vice President, Technical Operations at Malmö Aviation.
- Lennart Engman will be the General Manager of Braathens Training. Engman has 20 years’ of experience as a pilot and most recently as head of training for Malmö Aviation’s TRTO operations.
- Svein Björnstad is the General Manager of Branova. Björnstad has more than 20 years’ experience in the aviation industry including top positions in the IT operations at SAS and Braathens.
- Övyind Thon will be the CFO of Braathens Aviation Group and is a member of executive management. Thon has held a number of top finance positions in the travel industry; prior to his appointment, he was the CFO of Malmö Aviation.
