What is "busy bee"

n. a hardworking person

n. an alert and energetic person [syn: eager beaver, live wire, sharpie, sharpy]

Busy Bee was an airline which operated in Norway between 1966 and 1992. Entirely based around wet lease, in conducted a mix of regional services for larger airlines and the military, as well as corporate, ad hoc and inclusive tour charters.

Established as Busy Bee Air Service A/S by Bjørn G. Braathen, the airline initially mostly operated corporate charters, using among other aircraft a Learjet 23 and later three Hawker Siddeley HS.125. After a near-bankruptcy in 1973, the company fell under the ownership of Braganza and was renamed Airexecutive Norway A/S. It focused on operating Short Skyvans and later Fokker F27 Friendships. From 1975 it operated regional services for its sister company Braathens SAFE and increasingly flew charter for the Norwegian Armed Forces.

The airline took the name Busy Bee of Norway A/S in 1980, at which time it also took delivery of a Boeing 737-200C. Regional services were introduced with Scandinavian Airlines Systems (SAS), followed by Fokker 50s entering service from 1988. Reduced military charters and a loss of a vital contract in 1991 caused the foundation to fall out of the airline and it filed for bankruptcy in December 1992. Key people and assets reestablished the airline as Norwegian Air Shuttle.