Norway is moving closer to getting a brand new airline. Founded by long-time aviation professional Erik Braathens, the airline has this week unveiled its website, aims, and name. Flyr will serve domestic Norwegian routes as well as some intra-European markets and is aiming to launch in the first half of 2021.
Welcome to Flyr
The new Erik Braathens’ founded airline has today revealed further details about its business plan, including the potential name for the carrier. According to the company website, which was unveiled quietly over the weekend, the airline’s name will be Flyr.
What’s in a name? Well, the company says that the name reflects the simplicity of the brand it is trying to create. It says that it wants to deliver the simplest means of taking a flight, based on its passengers' needs. It further says,
The choice of name may challenge traditional rules and expectations, and in the same way we want to be a challenger in aviation. Airplanes are what we do best, and the only thing we have to do.
It might not seem like a good time to start a new airline, but we’ve seen a flurry of startups taking wing during the pandemic, both in Europe and over in the US also. To be fair to Flyr, the airline comes to the market with some heavyweight experience on the management board.
The airline is being founded by Erik Braathens, former CEO of Braathens SAFE and board member of Norwegian. He is joined by Tonje Wikstrøm Frislid, former vice president at Norwegian, who will be CEO of the airline. It is aiming to employ only workers from Norway and is eyeing starting up with five narrowbody aircraft.
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What we know about Flyr so far
According to the company website, the brand is looking at a digital-first strategy. It says that all bookings are made entirely on smartphone, using a bespoke app that employs predictive AI to understand passenger habits. Baggage, changes and other amendments will be made entirely in the app.
As well as a focus on digital, the airline is eyeing sustainability as a key USP. While it recognizes the need to fly less in the future, it says that it is building a company that doesn’t require more people to fly more frequently in order to be profitable. It states,
The goal of Flyr is to deliver the simplest flight, in the most sustainable way possible. We will do this by creating a pure digital product based on the needs of passengers, and fly fewer, smarter flights to places and times people need to travel. We build the company from the ground up, freed from complex systems and cumbersome organizations, in order to run an efficient and customer-friendly aircraft operation.
While the company hasn’t yet given a specific launch date, it says it is looking at the first half of 2021 to commence operations. Similarly, no schedule or route map has been released, with the airline stating simply, “We will fly between Norwegian cities and to well-known destinations in Europe."