Partnair A/S was a Norwegian charter airline which operated from 1971 to 1989. During the later 1980s it was Norway's fifth-largest airline by revenue, operating a fleet of three Convair CV-580 and six Beechcraft Super King Air. The airline was based at Oslo Airport, Fornebu, as well as operating a base at Stavanger Airport, Sola.
The airline was established as Paralift in 1968 to allow a group of friends to operate a Cessna 182 for parachuting. The company went commercial in 1971 and acquired four Cessna twin-props by 1975. The airline focused on business charters. During the late 1970s the fleet was replaced with Piper PA-31 Navajos. The Partnair name was adopted in the mid 1970s. The first of what eventually became eight Beechcraft King Air and the later Super models was bought in 1978. Partnair briefly operated two Cessna 550 Citation II corporate jets in 1983.
The airline merged with Nor-Fly Charter in 1984, acquiring two Convair 580s. A third was added in 1986. It built a new hangar and office complex in 1985. The only spell of scheduled traffic, out of Notodden Airport, Tuven, took place between 1985 and 1986. The company went into a period with severe financial difficulties and went bankrupt in 1987, but soon revived. The crash of Partnair Flight 394 on 8 September 1989 was the final blow for the company, which filed for bankruptcy on 11 October. Operations were restarted in what became Air Stord.
History
Paralift
The airline has its background in a group of parachuters who in 1968 established Paralift Air Service. The intention was to establish a company to own and operate an aircraft so they did not have to rent an aircraft each time they were parachuting. It took delivery of a Cessna 180 in February 1969, which it kept until August that year. It then took over a Cessna 182. These aircraft were both tailored as parachute-only aircraft. The following year the fleet was doubled with the arrival of a Cessna 310.
The company was incorporated on 30 June 1971 and received a commercial air operator's certificate in the fall. The airline took delivery of a de Havilland Dragon Rapide in August, configured for parachuting. The aircraft was kept until 1973.
Until the 1975 retirement of the Cessna 182, Paralift continued to operate parachuting flights. However, it increasingly focused on ad hoc and corporate charter. It targeted a growing market for executive charters using smaller twin-prop aircraft. Although slightly slower, they were significantly more economical that corporate jets. Paralift was able to operate many routes cheaper than scheduled services given that the entire aircraft was filled up. In addition, nonstop flights were available on any conceivable route combination, unlike scheduled services. Paralift was therefore successful at targeting smaller groups of executives traveling as a group.
Paralift operated out of Oslo Airport, Fornebu. It subcontracted maintenance to Fred. Olsen Airtransport and catering to Scandinavian Airlines System. For the business charter market the airline bought a Cessna 310 in 1970, a Cessna 320 and Cessna 401 in 1972. The Cessna 310 was replaced with a Cessna 402 in 1975. The Cessna 320 was sold in 1976 and replaced with the airline's first Piper PA-31 Navajo. Within three years Paralift was operating five such aircraft, and had also bought a Piper PA-31T Cheyenne and a Cessna 404 Titan.
Partnair operations
Sometime between 1975 and 1977 the airline changed its name to Partnair. It saw increased business particularly from the booming oil industry. By 1977 the airline was the second-largest light twin-prop operator in the country. The airline flew 5,200 hours with its five aircraft in 1978. The Cheyenne was retired in 1980, replaced by a new Cheyenne a year later which remained in use until 1985.
The first Beechcraft King Air 100 was delivered in 1978, followed by a second in 1980. That year Partnair also took delivery of its first Beechcraft Super King Air 200. The airline gradually ordered more of these until operating six Super King Airs. A British Aerospace Jetstream 31 was ordered in July 1981, along with a further option, for delivery in October 1982. However, the order was canceled before delivery. Instead, Partnair took delivery of two used Cessna 550 Citation II corporate jets, but these were retired within a year. Partnair started using simulators to train their pilots from 1982.