Scandinavian regional airline Air Leap has ceased operations, leaving eight routes in Sweden, Norway and Finland unserved.
The carrier, which was founded in 2018, said its board has applied for a corporate reorganization, forcing the suspension of all operations from Jan. 24.
“The main reason for the decision is that it is not financially defensible to continue the business in its current form with the conditions that exist today,” a statement issued by the Stockholm-based business said.
“The company has maintained airline operations for the past two years during COVID-19, with virtually non-existent state support.
“Air Leap has contributed to maintaining important infrastructure during the pandemic, which it believes should have meant significantly more financial support when considering the extensive restrictions that the industry has been affected by.”
Previously known as NextMove, the airline was renamed Air Leap after its owners bought parts of the bankrupt Swedish airline Nextjet. CAPA Fleet Database shows the carrier operated a fleet of six aircraft, comprising five Saab 340s and one ATR 72.
According to data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser, Air Leap offered 10 routes during January 2022, six of which were from its main base at Stockholm Arlanda (ARN).
They included three domestic services in Sweden—to Halmstad (HAD), Ornskoldsvik (OER) and Visby (VBY)—as well as connections to Oslo (OSL) in Norway, and Mariehamn (MHQ) and Turku (TKU) in Finland.
In addition, Air Leap provided domestic flights in Norway, linking Oslo with Orland (OLA) and Roros (RRS) nonstop, as well as flying an Oslo-Roros-Orland-Roros-Oslo routing. The carrier also served Mariehamn-Turku in Finland.
Following the suspension of flights, OAG schedules show that only two routes will continue to receive nonstop flights. Oslo-Stockholm Arlanda will remain served by SAS Scandinavian Airlines, Norwegian Air Shuttle and Ethiopian Airlines, which provides fifth freedom flights using Boeing 787-9s. SAS also serves Stockholm Arlanda-Visby.
Air Leap’s Network (January 2022):
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