The airline originated from a privately owned airline Reguljair, which started services between Luleå and Stockholm in 2001, by which time it had become Nordic Airlink. Finnair acquired 85% of the company in 2003 and the company was split into two. The Finnair low cost subsidiary FlyNordic and the privately held Nordic Leisure. For domestic Nordic Leisure flights the brand Nordic Regional is used. The Nordic Airways name was adopted for Nordic Leisure/Nordic Regional in January 2006.