Color Air
{{Short description|Former Norwegian airline}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Infobox airline
| airline = Color Air
| logo = Color air logo.svg
| logo_size = 150
| IATA = CL{{cite news |title=Tomme Color Air-fly |work=Dagbladet |page=12 |date=10 August 1998 |language=no}}
| ICAO = CLA
| callsign = Pennant
| founded = 1998
| commenced = 1 August 1998
| ceased = 1999
| hubs = Oslo Airport, Gardermoen
| focus_cities =
| frequent_flyer =
| lounge =
| alliance =
| fleet_size = 3
| destinations = 5
| parent = Color Group
| headquarters = Oslo
| key_people = Olav Nils Sunde (founder)
Ove Johan Solem (CEO)
}}
Color Air AS was the first Norwegian low-cost airline. It operated from Oslo Airport, Gardermoen in 1998 and 1999 with a fleet of three Boeing 737-300 aircraft. Color Air was a brand extension of Color Line, which shared a common owner in the Olav Nils Sunde-controlled Color Group. The airline operated five daily round trips from Oslo to Trondheim and Bergen, four to Ålesund and one to London, in addition to a weekly trip to Alicante. Color Air pioneered the low-cost business model in Norway, with a denser seating, no frills and lack of a frequent flyer program. Tickets were sold only via the Internet, by telephone or in supermarkets; when bought from travel agents, there was a {{NOK|200}} surcharge.
The airline was established in response to the opening of Gardermoen, which would allow any airline sufficient landing slots to compete with the incumbents Braathens and Scandinavian Airlines (SAS). Color Air commenced operations on 1 August 1998, with the two other airlines moving from Oslo Airport, Fornebu on 8 October. Following the airline's establishment, a price war broke out between it and the two incumbents. All three increased capacity and dropped prices, giving a 40% increase in seats on the dominant domestic routes and seat loads of between 30 and 50 percent. After thirteen months and NOK 400 million in losses, Color Air gave up and filed for bankruptcy. The price war cost the three airlines more than NOK 3 billion, and ultimately forced the other two to merge.
Service
All flights were based at Oslo Airport, Gardermoen. For the summer routes of 1999, Color Air operated four daily round trips to Ålesund Airport, Vigra, and five daily round trips to Bergen Airport, Flesland and Trondheim Airport, Værnes. In addition, there was a single daily round trip to London Stansted Airport, and a weekly round trip to Alicante Airport. From each domestic destination, flights were made to correspond with the Color Line cruiseferries departing from Oslo to Kiel, Germany, and Hirtshals, Denmark.{{cite web |url=http://www.colorair.no/flytider.htm |title=Flytider |author=Color Air|work=Color Air|date=10 March 1999 |access-date=31 January 2009 |language=no |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990427083152/http://www.colorair.no/flytider.htm |archive-date=27 April 1999}}
Color Air had only one seating class, offered no on-board beverages and had no frequent flyer program or lounges.{{cite news |title=Color Air med samme billettpriser over hele landet |author=Lillesund, Geir |agency=Norwegian News Agency |date=16 June 1998 |language=no}} Color Air had an agreement for tickets to be sold at the Rimi supermarkets, as well as by phone and Internet.{{cite news |title=Fire melk og to flybilletter, takk ! |author=Stokkan, Morten |work=Dagbladet |page=6 |date=18 July 1998 |language=no}} If bought at a travel agency, there was a NOK 200 surcharge. This was because Color Air was not linked to the Amadeus booking system, owing to the costs associated with membership.{{cite news |title=Ekstragebyrer på Color Airs billigreiser |author=Graven, Andreas R. |work=Aftenposten |page=4 |date=29 July 1998 |language=no}}
Fleet
File:Color Air 737-300 G-COLB.jpg at Oslo Airport, Gardermoen in 1999]]
The airline had three Boeing 737-300 aircraft, built in 1994. Originally fitted with 136 seats each, they were later reduced to 124, and then increased to 142. The aircraft were owned by International Lease Finance Corporation and General Electric Capital,{{cite news |title=Color Air vraker Braathens-service |author=Ottesen, Gregers |work=Dagens Næringsliv |page=12 |date=5 May 1998 |language=no}}{{cite news |title=Risikerer kjempekrav |author1=Ottesen, Gregers |author2=Larsen, Trygve|work=Dagens Næringsliv |page=20 |date=29 September 1999 |language=no}}{{cite news |title=Color Air fjernet flyseter og økte belegget |author=Eidsten, Kjell Petter |work=Dagens Næringsliv |page=2 |date=27 June 1998 |language=no}} and cost NOK 2.25 million per month to lease, plus additional costs per hour.{{cite news |title=Tomme seter hos Color Air: Taper 650 000 i uka |author=Moberg, Knut |work=Dagbladet |page=19 |date=14 August 1998 |language=no}} They were British-registered and operated by Air Foyle HeavyLift,{{cite news |title=Britisk selskap skal være operatør for Color Air |author=Ottesen, Gregers |work=Dagens Næringsliv |page=7 |date=16 March 1998 |language=no}} while maintenance was performed by British Midland. Both companies are based in the United Kingdom.{{cite news |title=Klart for flyet med lave priser |author=Spence, Thomas |work=Aftenposten |page=2 |date=1 August 1998 |language=no}} Ground handling was carried out by SAS Ground Services in Trondheim, Bergen and Ålesund, and by Servisair in Oslo.
Destinations
class="wikitable sortable"
!City !Country !IATA !ICAO !Airport | ||||
Ålesund | Norway | AES | ENAL | Ålesund Airport, Vigra |
Alicante | Spain | ALC | LEAL | Alicante Airport |
Bergen | Norway | BGO | ENBR | Bergen Airport, Flesland |
London | United Kingdom | STN | EGSS | London Stansted Airport |
Oslo | Norway | OSL | ENGM | Oslo Airport, Gardermoen |
Trondheim | Norway | TRD | ENVA | Trondheim Airport, Værnes |
History
=Background=
With Norway joining the European Economic Area, the Norwegian airline market was deregulated from 1 April 1994. While airlines formerly needed a concession from the Ministry of Transport to fly a particular route, they could now compete freely on any domestic or international routes. Previously the two major airlines Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) and Braathens SAFE each had their own routes, but from 1994 both established themselves on several of the main-haul routes.
With increased traffic, there soon became a capacity problem at Oslo Airport, Fornebu, the main hub for both SAS and Braathens. During the peak times during the morning and afternoon rush, there were no excess slots for new airlines. To compensate, the Norwegian Airport Administration was building a new main airport for Eastern Norway, to be located at Gardermoen. A larger terminal and two runways would give ample room for expansion, and entry of new airlines. The new airport opened on 8 October 1998.{{cite news |title=Color Air: Ingen politisk sak |author=Valestrand, Terje |work=Bergens Tidende |page=6 |date=19 January 1998 |language=no}}
=Establishment=
In January 1998, Olav Nils Sunde announced that he would establish a low-cost airline following the opening of the new airport. The company would be led by CEO Morten Andersen, who previously had been CEO of Norway Airlines, and the lawyer Stein Øxseth. Sunde would own 92% of the company through his shipping company Larvik Scandi Line, while Andersen and Øxseth would own 4% each. The company would be a brand extension of Sunde's shipping company Color Line. The company aimed at a 15–20% market share, with 1.4 million passengers annually. It was the first low-cost airline in Norway.{{cite news |title=Starter flyselskap |author1=Ottesen, Gregers |author2=Segrov, Bjørn |work=Dagens Næringsliv |page=10 |date=16 January 1998 |language=no}} The company launched tickets down to NOK 500 each way, and sold cheap tickets without demanding that the traveler be away during a weekend.{{cite news |title=Color Air utfordrer til luftslag |work=Dagbladet |page=13 |date=17 January 1998 |language=no}} Color Air made an agreement with the British airline Air Foyle HeavyLift to operate a fleet of Boeing 737-300 aircraft.
File:MS Color Fantasy in Oslo.jpg]]
Following the announcement to establish Color Air, Braathens SAFE chose to rebrand itself. They launched a new livery, and changed their name to just Braathens. Starting with the company's first Boeing 737-700 delivered on 23 March, Braathens introduced the business class, Braathens Best, that would take up 70% of the cabin, and the economy class Braathens Back, that would be at the back of the cabin.{{cite news |title=Braathens med to klasser og nytt emblem |author=Lillesund, Geir |agency=Norwegian News Agency |date=3 March 1998 |language=no}} From 1 April, a new NOK 65 tax was introduced on all domestic flights. Braathens and SAS decided to divide the cross-subsidize the taxes between their routes, something Color Air was not able to do. This was because the tax was only valid for routes within Southern Norway; Braathens and SAS could therefore tacitly collude to increase the prices to Northern Norway, and thereby subsidize their routes in Southern Norway. Color Air, on the other hand, would be forced to put the full tax on all its departures. While the government had no way to hinder the incumbents from doing this, Gudmund Restad, Minister of Finance from the Centre Party, encouraged the airlines to not "cheat", and follow the intentions of the law, even if he admitted that there was nothing the government could do to hinder the airlines from cross-subsidizing.{{cite news |title=Braathens sprer seteavgiften |author=Lillesund, Geir |agency=Norwegian News Agency |date=3 March 1998 |language=no}}{{cite news |title=Flyavgift-Synnes 1-1|author=Johannesen, Bjørn Erik |work=Nordlys |page=11 |date=3 April 1998 |language=no}}
The contract to lease two Boeing 737-300 aircraft from 1994 was made with International Lease Finance Corporation in May. Maintenance was outsourced to a British company, after Braathens, which also operated 737 Classic aircraft, had denied Color Air the use of its simulators and technical workshops. For the start-up, Color Air hired 18 pilots, 40 flight attendants and 40 ground employees, in addition to the administration. The company was criticized for only hiring women flight attendants.{{cite news |title=Menn uønsket Bare kvinner i kabinen |author=Gjeruldsen, Sven Gj. |work=Dagbladet |page=17 |date=17 June 1998 |language=no}} Braathens operated with an internal pension age of 58 years for its pilots, while SAS had a 60-year age limit. Due to EEA rules, the judicial age limit was 65 years, so Color Air was able to hire retired SAS and Braathens pilots. These could be paid only NOK 500,000 in annual wage, since they received a full pension from their old employers on top of it. The Norwegian Airline Pilots Association stated that this was morally reprehensible, but Color Air was supported by the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority, medical experts, and SAS, who all claimed that there were no medical reasons to not let people in their 60s operate aircraft.{{cite news |title=Pensjonist Air |author1=Alver, Vigdis |author2=Hansen, Frode |work=Dagbladet |page=6 |date=21 June 1998 |language=no}}
=Start of operation=
The first aircraft was delivered on 1 August 1998. While the new airport at Gardermoen would not officially open until 8 October, when also SAS and Braathens would move to the airport, Color Air started flights from Gardermoen to Ålesund Airport, Vigra on 6 August. Flights to Trondheim Airport, Værnes commenced on 8 August, while the Bergen Airport, Flesland-route started 15 August.{{cite news |title=Mange ledige seter Oslo-Ålesund |author=Lillesund, Geir |agency=Norwegian News Agency |page=10 |date=5 August 1998 |language=no}} After a week, very few passengers were traveling with Color Air, with two at the least and twenty-four at the most per departure. Color Air was losing NOK 650,000 per week of operation.
The pricing scheme was based on tickets for NOK 399, 499, 599 and 699, plus NOK 71 in taxes. At least ten tickets were available at the lowest price per departure, and the first to order were granted the cheapest tickets. Tickets had no restrictions on cancellation, and were not subject to restrictions on return dates.
With the opening of Gardermoen, both Braathens and SAS increased the number of flights. Braathens established a route to Haugesund, while SAS started routes to Ålesund and Kristiansand. The number of daily trips from Oslo for SAS increased from 59 to over 80. In total, the three companies increased their daily round trip from 138 to 200, and the daily seat capacity from 18,000 to 26,000. Ålesund had the largest increase, from seven daily round trips only with Braathens, to seventeen offered by all three companies.{{cite news |title=Priskrig til glede for passasjerene: Kapasitetsboom på Gardermoen |author=Sætre, Lars N. |work=Aftenposten |page=46 |date=12 March 1998 |language=no}} On the route to Trondheim, the number of departures had increased from 27 to 39, with Braathens operating 19, SAS 16 and Color Air 5.{{cite news |title=Luftkamp som kan gi blodsmak |author=Sætre, Lars N. |work=Aftenposten |page=32 |date=17 November 1998 |language=no}} The increase in seats was profitable for the state; the new seat tax—which was also applicable to unsold seats—received an annual revenue increase of NOK 110 million.{{cite news |title=Tjener 110 mill. på flykrigen Statens inntekter tar av |author=Moberg, Knut |work=Aftenposten |page=12 |date=10 August 1998 |language=no}}
The first plane planned to leave Gardermoen was an SAS aircraft. However, since it was 20 minutes delayed, a Color Air aircraft was instead the first to take off, at 06:52 on 8 August 1998.{{cite news |title=Det meste gikk bra første dagen |author=Lillesund, Geir |agency=Norwegian News Agency |date=8 October 1998 |language=no}}{{cite news |url=http://luftfart.media/2016/10/10/historien-om-da-colorair-kuppet-hele-festen-foran-nesen-pa-sas/ |title=Historien om da Color Air kuppet hele festen foran nesen på SAS |author=Stenberg, Espen Bless |work=Luftfart.Media |date=10 October 2016 |access-date=10 October 2016 |language=no |archive-date=12 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012234810/http://luftfart.media/2016/10/10/historien-om-da-colorair-kuppet-hele-festen-foran-nesen-pa-sas/ |url-status=dead }} By the end of October, the airline had between 40 and 50% cabin load, and the company stated that it needed "slightly more than 50%" to make a profit. It also announced that it would receive three more aircraft to supplement the two it had in service.{{cite news |title=Nye fly til Color Air |agency=Norwegian News Agency |date=24 October 1998 |language=no}} Instead of starting a route to Stavanger, the company instead chose to open a route to London Stansted Airport starting 1 December. The airline stated that it did not have sufficient aircraft do make more than two round trips to Stavanger, and that this would be too little to be a credible operator on the route.{{cite news |title=Color Air starter lavprisrute til London |author=Lillesund, Geir |agency=Norwegian News Agency |date=6 November 1998 |language=no}}
=Price war=
In November, Color Air changed the conditions tied to purchase of tickets. Reduced price tickets were only available seven days or more before departure, and only full-price tickets could be refunded.{{cite news |title=Color Air ikke så kundevennlig |work=Nordlys |page=12 |date=20 November 1998 |language=no}} At the same time, the maximum price increased to NOK 870, though all ticket prices were changed to include all taxes, after requirements from the authorities. A new, cheapest ticket was introduced at NOK 345, including taxes.{{cite news |title=Color Air mister fargen |author=Fonbæk, Dag |work=Verdens Gang |page=12 |date=27 November 1998 |language=no}} After the winter settled, the front between Color Air and Braathens grew colder following Braathens' denying Color Air to use their deicing equipment at Ålesund, resulting in the plane being stuck at the airport.{{cite news |title=Tulling-toppen |author=Nygard-Sture, Trond |work=Bergens Tidende |page=24 |date=29 November 1998 |language=no}}
In November, Color Air transported 102,544 passengers.{{cite news |title=Tøff konkurranse i luften i november: 45 av 100 flyseter tomme |author=Enghaug, Pål |work=Aftenposten |page=2 |date=22 December 1998 |language=no}} From mid-December, the company had a time-limited offer of tickets for NOK 200.{{cite news |title=200 kroner billetten fra Oslo til Trondheim |author=Kjølberg, Morten |work=Aftenposten |page=6 |date=13 December 1998 |language=no}}
File:Color Air 737-3Q8 G-COLB.jpg at Trondheim Airport, Værnes]]
In September, the ownership of Color Air was rearranged. Sunde reallocated his ownership and created Color Group, that would wholly own both Color Line, Scandi Line, Larvik Line and Color Air. Sunde retained a 77% ownership in the corporation through Larvik Scandi Line. The group was subsequently listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange.{{cite news |title=Color Group: Sunde samler sitt reiselivsimperium |author=Lange, Grete de |work=Aftenposten |page=19 |date=26 September 1998 |language=no}} In the general meeting held in December, two of the largest owners of Color Line, Vital Forsikring and the Government Pension Fund of Norway, both were opposed to the merger, as they felt the purchased companies were overvalued. Color Air was at the time valuated at NOK 157 million.{{cite news |title=Småaksjonærene knurrer Oppvask om Sundes Colortransaksjoner |author=Lange, Grete de |work=Aftenposten |page=19 |date=22 December 1998 |language=no}} After a long process between the minority shareholders and Color Group, the valuation was adjusted to NOK 108 million.{{cite news |title=Tapte 91 millioner |author=Segrov, Bjørn |work=Dagens Næringsliv |page=27 |date=26 March 1999 |language=no}} In May, Olav Nils Sunde bought the entire Color Group, and delisted it from the stock exchange following the conflict with the other shareholders.{{cite news |title=Kjøper hele Color, slipper granskning |author=Segrov, Bjørn |work=Dagens Næringsliv |page=46 |date=15 May 1999 |language=no}}
By the end of 1998, it became clear that Braathens had increased capacity by 20%, but only achieved a 5.2% ridership increase after the opening of Gardermoen. Similar numbers were applicable for SAS. The business market, in particular the large corporations with divisions in several large cities, were demanding high frequencies on the routes. Color Air could get by with fewer departures because they mainly targeted the leisure segment. In particular, the routes from Oslo to Ålesund and Kristiansand had a very low seat utilization; to Ålesund there were 1.2 million seats annually, but only 345,000 passengers, giving a 29% cabin load. Accumulated cabin load for Color Air was 32%, with 116,176 passengers.{{cite news |title=Tre av ti i Color Air |author=Ottesen, Gregers |work=Aftenposten |page=9 |date=18 February 1999 |language=no}}{{cite news |title=Resultatvekst i 1998 for Color Group ASA |author=Lillesund, Geir |agency=Norwegian News Agency |date=25 March 1999 |language=no}} In the course of the last quarter of 1998, Color Air lost NOK 91 million, or NOK 1 million each day. For the whole year, Color Air had an average ticket price of NOK 453, giving a revenue of NOK 57 million. NOK 45 million was used on taxes, giving NOK 12 million to cover operating costs of NOK 209 million. The company lost NOK 197 million in 1998.{{cite news |title=Tapte 91 millioner |author1=Ottesen, Gregers |author2=Segrov, Bjørn |work=Dagens Næringsliv |page=4 |date=2 August 1999 |language=no}}
In February 1999, Braathens announced that they would re-register all their planes in Sweden to avoid having to pay value added tax on catering and fuel. Color Air and SAS, who had their planes registered abroad, had gotten away without paying the taxes, since it only applied to Norway-registered planes. Following this announcement, the Ministry of Finance changed the rules so also foreign-owned planes had to pay the tax. The change in rules cost Color Air NOK 10 million per plane per year.{{cite news |title=Etter at Braathens ba om fritak Moms for alle norske flyselskaper |work=Aftenposten |page=27 |date=5 March 1999 |language=no}} From 1 July 1999, the seat tax was removed, but replaced by an equivalent tax for each passenger. This made it cheaper to fly an empty plane, but more expensive to fly a full one.{{cite news |title=Seteavgiften i fly fjernes |work=Aftenposten |page=5 |date=4 May 1999 |language=no}} Color Air had reduced the number of seats in each plane to avoid the seat tax, but increased them again after the tax was removed.
In the first quarter of 1999, Color Air transported 100,472 passengers. This gave a cabin load of 35%, of which the Trondheim route had 40% and the Ålesund route 32%. This gave the airline a deficit of NOK 92 million.{{cite news |title=Color-kvartalstall påvirket av svake flyresultater |agency=Norwegian News Agency |date=19 May 1999 |language=no}}{{cite news |title=100.000 fløy med Color Air 1. kvartal |agency=Norwegian News Agency |date=15 April 1999 |language=no}} SAS lost NOK 22 million, while Braathens had lost NOK 300 million.{{cite news |title=Taper 100 mill. i måneden |author=Fonbæk, Dag |work=Verdens Gang |date=20 May 1999 |language=no}} In comparison, both Braathens and SAS Norway made a NOK 320 million profit in the first quarter of 1998.{{cite news |title=Flypriser må opp 50 pst. |author1=Erikstad, Terje |author2=Wangsmo, Rune |work=Dagens Næringsliv |page=10 |date=22 May 1999 |language=no}}
File:Oslo Airport with SAS Braathens Color Air.jpg and Scandinavian Airlines, at Oslo Airport, Gardermoen]]
On 1 April, Color Air won a two-year contract with Norway Post for all air mail from Oslo to Trondheim and Ålesund.{{cite news |title=Color Air vant flypost|agency=Norwegian News Agency |date=25 March 1999 |language=no}} On 10 April, Color Air started a weekly round trip each Saturday to Alicante Airport in Spain. On 12 April, Ove Johan Solem took over as CEO of Color Air.{{cite news |title=Ove J. Solem ny leder for Color Air |agency=Norwegian News Agency |date=12 April 1999 |language=no}} In May, the company increased the cabin load from 38 to 48%, with ridership increasing from 33,978 to 44,081. These numbers also included a change in the number of seats per plane. The following month, 46,777 people traveled with the airline.{{cite news |title=Finansnotiser |work=Dagens Næringsliv |page=18 |date=2 July 1999 |language=no}} By the end of July, Color Air had lost NOK 350 million. However, in July, Color Air had a cabin load exceeding 50%, the level Sunde had stated was necessary to make a profit.{{cite news |title=Høyere tall i luften |work=Aftenposten |page=27 |date=10 August 1999 |language=no}}
In September, SAS announced that if Braathens took the first step to reduce capacity between Bergen and Oslo, they would follow immediately to reduce the overcapacity in the combined 37 daily departures.{{cite news |title=SAS vil ha færre avganger Bergen – Oslo |author=Valderhaug, Rune |work=Bergens Tidende |page=9 |date=2 September 1999 |language=no}} However, Braathens was not willing to reduce.{{cite news |title=Braathens vil ikke kutte flyruter |author=Valderhaug, Rune |work=Bergens Tidende |page=2 |date=7 September 1999 |language=no}} On 15 September, Color Air announced that they would start flying five round trips from Oslo to Stavanger Airport, Sola on 1 October, following the delivery of their fourth aircraft. At the same time, the airline would reduce the number of round trips to Ålesund from four to two.{{cite news |title=Color Air flyr mer |agency=Norwegian News Agency |page=2 |date=17 September 1999 |language=no}} The load factor in August was 43%, and management stated that 50% load would not be sufficient to make money. In particular, the company stated that while aircraft were full during the weekends, the company was not succeeding at garnering the necessary business ridership to fill up the planes during the weekdays.{{cite news |title=Ny flyrute mellom Oslo og Stavanger |work=Aftenposten |page=2 |date=16 September 1999 |language=no}} To become more attractive, the company changed its fares to two classes: Business Full Flex and Saver No Flex. The company also stated that to attract more business travelers, it was looking for an international partner to conduct codesharing on international routes, and perhaps also introduce a frequent flyer program alone or in cooperation with the partner.
=Bankruptcy=
On 27 September 1999, Color Air terminated all flights and ceased operations.{{cite news |title=Color-avviklingen: – Som en bombe på de ansatte |agency=Norwegian News Agency |date=27 September 1999 |language=no}} Sunde stated that he regretted having started the airline, and said that he had overestimated the synergies between his ferry company and the airline, but also underestimated the price elasticity for business travel. In particular, the frequent flyer programs that SAS and Braathens had made it difficult to convince corporate travelers to switch to Color Air.{{cite news |author=Lillesund, Geir |title=Sunde: Skulle aldri ha startet Color Air |agency=Norwegian News Agency |date=27 September 1999 |language=no}} Sunde believed that the company would continue to lose money in 2000.{{cite news |author=Valderhaug, Rune |title=Ville tapt penger i hele år 2000 |work=Bergens Tidende |date=30 September 1999 |language=no}} 220 employees lost their jobs, while Color Group estimated it lost NOK 400 million on the airline. There were discussions concerning cooperation with, or a take-over by, British Airways, but these discussions did not lead to an agreement.{{cite news |title=400 millioner fattigere |author=Segrov, Bjørn |work=Dagens Næringsliv |page=6 |date=28 September 1999 |language=no}} In total, Color Air flew 430,000 passengers, effectively subsidizing each passenger with almost NOK 1000.{{cite news |title=Color Air satt på bakken Tapte 1000 kroner på hver passasjer |author1=Dahl, Flemming |author2=Haraldsen, Christian |work=Aftenposten |page=32 |date=28 September 1999 |language=no}} The company was not declared bankrupt, as Sunde wanted to insure his good reputation by paying everyone he owed money. While this was about NOK 10 million in airport fees and smaller sums to other parties, the largest creditors were the two aircraft leasing companies, to whom NOK 270 million was owed for the rest of the rental period.{{cite news |title=Konkurs kan være neste for Color Air |author1=Ottesen, Gregers |author2=Larsen, Trygve|work=Dagens Næringsliv |page=11 |date=30 September 1999 |language=no}} The 20,000 people who had tickets with Color Air were all rebooked onto Braathens flights. After NOK 170 million in debt was registered by the company, and assets were only worth NOK 17 million, Color Air was declared bankrupt on 10 November 1999.{{cite news |title=Tidligere Color Air slått konkurs |agency=Norwegian News Agency |date=17 November 1999 |language=no}}
On the day of the termination, the stock price of Braathens increased by 16%, while SAS's increased 3%.{{cite news |title=Til himmels på flyavvikling |author=Steen, Knut B. |work=Dagens Næringsliv |page=37 |date=28 September 1999 |language=no}} Immediately following the bankruptcy, the two airlines increased their prices. Subsequently, Braathens increased their ticket price by 15%, but stated that this had nothing to do with the elimination of competition, since the price increase was not on any Oslo routes.{{cite news |title=Braathens øker billettprisene for å overleve |author=Dahl, Flemming |work=Aftenposten |page=23 |date=16 October 1999 |language=no}} In November, Braathens started to remove routes, and announced they would increase prices by 20%. They also reintroduced the Flag of Norway on the tailplane that since the rebranding had been replaced by a silver, abstract wing.{{cite news |title=Braathens heiser flagg igjen |author=Dahl, Flemming |work=Aftenposten |page=36 |date=19 October 1999 |language=no}}{{cite news |title=Braathens kutter, Widerøe utvider |author=Dahl, Flemming |work=Bergens Tidende |page=4 |date=29 October 1999 |language=no}} Both Braathens and SAS lost more than NOK 1 billion in 1999, and the total cost of the price war between the three airlines exceeded NOK 3 billion.{{cite news |title=Flyselskapene tapte milliarder |agency=Norwegian News Agency |date=1 February 2000 |language=no}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/19990421004604/http://www.colorair.no/ Official site] archived on the Wayback Machine
- archived on the Wayback Machine {{in lang|no}}
{{Airlines of Norway}}
{{Portal bar|Norway|Companies|Aviation}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Good article}}
Category:Defunct airlines of Norway
Category:Defunct European low-cost airlines
Category:Airlines established in 1998
Category:Airlines disestablished in 1999
Category:1998 establishments in Norway