ACIA Aero Leasing Delivers an ATR 72-600 to Braathens Sweden

Thursday 3rd April 2025

Dublin, Ireland – April 2nd, 2025 - ACIA Aero Leasing (“ACIA”), a leading provider of regional aircraft leasing and lease management services and solutions, announced today the delivery of an ATR 72-600 passenger aircraft in a 72 seat layout on lease to Braathens.

The aircraft will be operated for SAS Scandinavian Airlines on the Braathens ACMI contract. These aircraft bring the total number of ATR aircraft operated by Braathens to 15.

“We are proud to have added Braathens as a new customer. Braathens are one of Europe’s oldest and most respected regional airlines with a long pedigree of providing regional connectivity across Scandinavia and the rest of Europe. We welcome them to the ACIA family as a new lessee,” stated Mick Mooney, ACIA’s Chief Executive Officer.

"We are excited and proud to enter into a partnership with ACIA. As one of the most established Regional airlines in Europe, we look forward to continuing to deliver high-quality regional service and enhancing our ACMI opportunities together with ACIA. We look forward to a long-term and successful collaboration” says Fredrik Matseng, Braathens CTO & Chief Fleet Management. The ATR 72 will operate on European routes on SAS network.

ACIA Aero Leasing Delivers an

About Braathens

Braathens Regional Airlines (BRA) is a Swedish airline that was established in 2016 through the merger of Malmö Aviation and Sverigeflyg, aiming to unify regional air services under a single brand. The airline's name, "BRA," not only reflects its connection to the Braathens family but also means "good" in Swedish. Braathens, originally known as Braathens SAFE (South American & Far East Air transport A/S), was a prominent Norwegian airline established on March 26, 1946, by Ludvig G. Braathen, a Norwegian shipowner. As of March 2025, Braathens Regional Airlines (BRA) has strategically repositioned itself to focus exclusively on Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance (ACMI) services, commonly known as wet-lease operations. This shift entails providing aircraft and comprehensive operational support to other airlines, allowing them to expand capacity without the need to directly manage additional fleets. A cornerstone of BRA's new strategy is a seven-year wet-lease agreement with Scandinavian Airlines (SAS). Under this partnership, effective from January 1, 2025, BRA operates several aircraft on behalf of SAS, primarily on key domestic routes within Sweden and services connecting to SAS's Copenhagen hub. This collaboration aims to enhance regional connectivity and operational efficiency for SAS. The airline has also embarked on a fleet expansion to meet the demands of its ACMI contracts, planning to increase its fleet to 17 ATR 72-600 & 7 A320 Family aircraft by the summer of 2025. This includes operating three ATR 72-600s for Austrian Airlines, in addition to fulfilling its commitments to SAS.

About ACIA Aero Leasing  

ACIA Aero Leasing (“ACIA”), a subsidiary of ACIA Aero Capital (“ACIA Group”), is a leading regional aircraft lessor headquartered in Ireland, with offices located in France, The United Kingdom and South Africa. ACIA was established in 2004.  ACIA manages a portfolio of nearly 70 regional passenger and freighter aircraft on lease to operators in more than 21 countries globally.  Through its strategic partnerships, ACIA provides airlines with turnkey leasing solutions from dry leasing through to charter operations.