Time Air Sweden Explained

Airline:Time Air Sweden AB
Fleet Size:7 (upon closure)
Iata:SL/HK
Icao:SDN
Callsign:AIR SWEDEN
Founded:1991
Commenced:March 1991
Ceased:February 1993
Headquarters:Upplands Väsby
Key People:Thomas Johansson
Hubs:Stockholm-Arlanda Airport

Time Air Sweden, also known as Air Sweden, was a short-lived airline from Sweden that operated from 1991 to 1993.

History

The airline was established as LBF-Eda Varken in 1955 and operated taxi flights. It was renamed to Abal Air in 1982 and Time Air Sweden in 1990.[1] Air Sweden was set up as a charter airline because the airline market in Sweden had not yet been deregulated. The airline operated cargo flights with its single Douglas DC-8-71F on the route Ostend-Stockholm-Delhi.[2]

The airline was owned by the Swedish businessman and former owner of Transwede, Thomas Johansson, with the main creditor being GE Capital.[3] When GE Capital canceled the credits in 1993, the airline went bankrupt. This was due to the high losses related to an economic downturn in Sweden, as well as the purchase of two Lockheed L-1011 TriStars.

Parts of the airline were later used to form West Air Sweden, specifically the single IAI Westwind that was left after the first one crashed.[4] There is no connection between Time Air Sweden and the more recent airline Air Sweden.

Fleet

Air Sweden's Fleet[5] [6]
AircraftNumber of aircraftIn ServiceNotes
Boeing 737-200Two former Braathens aircraft. Names: Norwegian Rainbow (SE-DLD) and Irish Rainbow (SE-DLP). SE-DKH unnamed.
Boeing 737-300SE-DLG named Alabama Rainbow. SE-DPN and SE-DPO unnamed.
Douglas DC-8-71SE-DLH, unnamed.
Douglas DC-8-71FSE-DLM, named Italian Rainbow.
Douglas DC-8-73F-GDRM, named Texas Rainbow. Leased from AOM French Airlines.[7]
IAI Westwind[8] [9] SE-DLK crashed at Umeå Airport in 1992. SE-DLL was transferred to West Air Sweden when Air Sweden went bankrupt.
Lockheed L-1011-100SE-DPR (c/n 1231). SE-DPP (c/n 1221) never delivered.
Total

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Abal Air . Airline History . 19 September 2021.
  2. http://www.airliners.net/photo/Air-Sweden--/McDonnell-Douglas-DC-8-71(F)/0497664/ SE-DLM at Airliners.net
  3. http://www.dn.se/ekonomi/karriaren-kantad-av-konkurser "Karriären kantad av konkurser", Dagens Nyheter (Swedish newspaper)
  4. Web site: Westair - Our Company - History . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110907001952/http://w3.westair.se/history.cfm . 2011-09-07 . 2012-07-23.
  5. http://www.planespotters.net/Airline/Air-Sweden-%281991-1993%29 Air Sweden code data and fleet list at planespotters.net
  6. Web site: Air Sweden at The TriStar Homepage . 2008-05-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080229144826/http://home.swipnet.se/~w-26408/airswed.htm . 2008-02-29 . dead .
  7. http://www.airliners.net/photo/Air-Sweden/McDonnell-Douglas-DC-8-73/0201461/L/ F-GDRM at Airliners.net
  8. http://www.airliners.net/photo/Time-Air-Sweden/Israel-Aircraft-Industries/0688267/L/ SE-DLK at Airliners.net
  9. http://www.airliners.net/photo/Air-Sweden-Executive/Israel-Aircraft-Industries/0088370/L/ SE-DLL at Airliners.net