Including its subsidiariesSAS Link andSAS Connect, the airline operates a fleet of 133 aircraft to 130 destinations, as of July 2024.[5] The principal hub of SAS isCopenhagen Airport,[6] which connects to 106 destinations worldwide.[7] The airline's two other hubs areStockholm Arlanda Airport with 74 destinations,[8] andOslo Airport, with 56 destinations.[9] Additionally, there are minor hubs at Bergen Flesland Airport, Göteborg Landvetter Airport, Stavanger Airport, and Trondheim Airport.
In October 2023, as part of theChapter 11 bankruptcy of Scandinavian Airlines' parent companySAS Group,Air France–KLM, theGovernment of Denmark and two financial firms (Castlelake and Lind Invest) announced plans to invest in SAS Group, with Air France–KLM taking a 19.9% stake.[17][18] On 19 March 2024, the US Bankruptcy Court approved the investment and the European Commission announced that it approved the investment on 28 June 2024. As a result of the new ownership, SAS leftStar Alliance on 31 August 2024, and joined the same alliance as Air France-KLM,SkyTeam, the following day.[19]
A privately preservedDouglas DC-3 wearing SAS' late 1940s-style markings
The airline was founded on 1 August 1946, whenSvensk Interkontinental Lufttrafik AB (an airline owned by the SwedishWallenberg family),Det Danske Luftfartselskab A/S, andDet Norske Luftfartselskap AS (theflag carriers of Denmark and Norway) formed a partnership to handle thecombined air traffic of the threeScandinavian countries.[20] The first president of SAS wasPer Norlin.[21] On 17 September 1946, operations started under the new entity and the first international service was conducted between Stockholm and New York.[22] Within a half-year, SAS set a new record for carrying the heaviest single piece of air cargo across the Atlantic on a scheduled passenger airliner, by shipping a 1,400-pound electrical panel from New York to theSandvik company in Sweden.[23]
In 1948, the Swedish flag carrier ABAerotransport joined SAS and quickly coordinated its European operations between both carriers. Three years later, the companies formally merged to form the SAS Consortium.[22] When established, ownership of the airline was divided between SAS Danmark (28.6%), SAS Norge (28.6%), and SAS Sverige (42.8%), all of which were owned 50% by private investors and 50% by their governments.[24]
During 1954, SAS became the first airline to commence scheduled flights on apolar route, flyingDouglas DC-6Bs from Copenhagen to Los Angeles with stops in Søndre Strømfjord (nowKangerlussuaq) in Greenland and Winnipeg in Canada, pioneering a commercial route that marked a milestone in transpolar aviation history.[22] By the summer of 1956, traffic on the route had justified the frequency to be increased to three flights per week. The service proved relatively popular with Hollywood celebrities and members of the film industry, and the route turned out to be a publicity coup for SAS. Thanks to a tariff structure that allowed free transit to other European destinations via Copenhagen, this trans-polar route gained increasing popularity with American tourists throughout the 1950s.[22]
In 1957, SAS was the first airline to offer around-the-world service over theNorth Pole via a second polar route served byDouglas DC-7Cs flying from Copenhagen to Tokyo viaAnchorage International Airport in Alaska.[22] The flight via Alaska was a compromise solution since theSoviet Union would not allow SAS, among other air carriers, to fly acrossSiberia between Europe and Japan, and Chinese airspace was also closed.[22]
A Scandinavian Airlines flight attendant serving passengers in the 1960sRadisson Blu Royal Hotel in centralCopenhagen, originally SAS Royal Hotel, designed byArne Jacobsen and built in 1960
In addition to modern airliners, SAS also adopted innovative operating practices and systems to improve the customer experience. In 1965, it was the first airline to introduce an electronicreservation system.[22] During 1971, SAS introduced its firstBoeing 747 jumbo jet into service.[25] Prior to the delivery of its first 747s, SAS had formed the KSS maintenance consortium withKLM andSwissair in 1969 to provide a maintenance pool and standardize aircraft specifications for the three airlines' 747 fleets. The consortium later incorporatedUTA and was renamed into KSSU to jointly acquire and maintainMcDonnell Douglas DC-10 widebody trijets.[26][27] In 1982, SAS was recognised as the most punctual airline operating in Europe at that time.[22]
During its first decades, the airline built two large hotels in central Copenhagen,SAS Royal Hotel (5 stars) and the even largerSAS Hotel Scandinavia (4 stars, with a casino on the 26th floor).[22] In 1980, SAS opened its first hotel outside of Scandinavia, theSAS Kuwait Hotel. By 1989, SAS's hotel division owned a 40 percent share in theIntercontinental Hotels Group.[22] Following thederegulation of commercial aviation in Europe and the competitive pressures from new rivals, SAS experienced economic difficulties (as did many incumbentflag carrier airlines) this heavily contributed to the airline's decision to sell its hotel chain to theRadisson Hotel Group during 1992.[22]
The company logo in the 1980s was made up of stripes in the colors of the flags of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.SAS operated flights toGreenland for more than 50 years until March 2003. The route reopened in spring 2007 until January 2009. Pictured: aBoeing 767-300ER atKangerlussuaq Airport (2001).
In 1981,Jan Carlzon was appointed as theCEO of SAS; during his tenure, the company underwent a successful financial turnaround of the company starting in 1981 and who envisioned SAS ownership of multiple airlines worldwide. SAS gradually acquired control of the domestic markets in all three countries; this was achieved by acquiring full or partial control of various competing local airlines, includingBraathens andWiderøe in Norway;Linjeflyg andSkyways Express in Sweden; andCimber Air in Denmark. During 1989, SAS acquired 18.4% of theTexas Air Corporation, the parent company ofContinental Airlines, in a bid to form a global alliance. However, this did not come about and the stake in the Texas Air Corporation was subsequently sold on. During the 1990s, SAS also acquired a 20 percent stake inBritish Midland, as well as purchasing 95 percent ofSpanair, the second-largest airline in Spain, in addition toAir Greenland.[citation needed]
During the early 1990s, SAS unsuccessfully tried to merge itself withKLM, along withAustrian Airlines and Swissair, in a proposed combined entity commonly calledAlcazar.[28][29] However, months of negotiations towards this ambitious merger ultimately collapsed due to multiple unsettled issues; this strategic failure heavily contributed to the departure of Carlzon that same year and his replacement by Jan Reinås.[21] The airline marked its 50th year of operation on 1 August 1996 with the harmonization and name of SAS's parent company toSAS Danmark A/S, SAS Norge ASA andSAS Sverige AB.[22] During May 1997, SAS became a founding member of the globalStar Alliance network, joining with airlines such asAir Canada,Lufthansa,Thai Airways International, andUnited Airlines.[30][31]
In June 2001, the ownership structure of SAS was changed, with a holding company being created in which the holdings of the governments changed to Sweden (21.4%), Norway (14.3%), and Denmark (14.3%), while the remaining 50 percent of shares were publicly held and traded on thestock market.[22] During 2004, SAS was again restructured, being divided into four separate companies:SAS Scandinavian Airlines Sverige AB, SAS Scandinavian Airlines Danmark A/S, SAS Braathens AS, andSAS Scandinavian International AS.SAS Braathens was re-brandedSAS Scandinavian Airlines Norge AS in 2007.[32][22] However, during October 2009, the four companies were once again united into one company, namedSAS Scandinavian System AB.[citation needed]
This section needs to beupdated. The reason given is: recent crisis and strike. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(July 2022)
With the growth ofbudget airlines and decreasing fares inScandinavia, the business experienced financial hardship. By 2009, competitive pressures had compelled the airline to launch a cost-cutting initiative. In the first step of which, the business sold its stakes in other companies, such asBritish Midland International, Spanair, andairBaltic, and began to restructure its operations.[33][34][35] During January 2009, an agreement to divest more than 80 percent of the holdings in Spanair was signed with aCatalan group of investors led by Consorci de Turisme de Barcelona and Catalana d'Inciatives.[36] These changes reportedly reduced the airliner's expenses by around 23 per cent between 2008 and 2011.[37]
In November 2012, the company came under heavy pressure from its owners and banks to implement even heavier cost-cutting measures as a condition for continued financial support. Negotiations with the respectivetrade unions took place for more than a week and exceeded the original deadline; in the end, an agreement was reached between SAS and the trade unions that would increase the work time, cutting employee's salaries by between 12 and 20 percent, along with reductions to thepension and retirement plans; these measures were aimed at keeping the airline as an operating concern. SAS was criticized for how it handled the negotiations, having reportedly denied facilities to the union delegations.[37]
During 2017, SAS announced that it was forming a new airline,Scandinavian Airlines Ireland, operating out ofHeathrow Airport andMálaga Airport to fly European routes on its parent's behalf using nine Airbus A320neos.[38] SAS sought to replace its own aircraft with cheaper ones crewed and based outside Scandinavia to compete better with other airlines.[39][40] The Swedish Pilots Union expressed its dissatisfaction with the operational structure of the new airline, suggesting it violated the current labour-agreements.[41] The Swedish Cabin Crew Union also condemned the new venture and stated that SAS established the airline to "not pay decent salaries" to cabin crew.[42]
In 2018, SAS announced that it had placed an order for 50Airbus A320neo narrow-body jetliners to facilitate the creation of a single-type fleet. That same year, the Norwegian government divested its stake in the airline.[22] As part of an environmental initiative launched bySan Francisco International Airport (SFO), SAS flights operating out of SFO since December 2018 have been supplied withsustainable aviation fuel fromShell andSkyNRG.[43][44]
In July 2021, the European Commission approved a Swedish and Danish aid measure of approximately US$356 million to support SAS.[45] In September 2021, SAS announced that it would establish two operating subsidiaries; SAS Connect and SAS Link, with its existingSAS Ireland subsidiary to be rebranded as the new SAS Connect, while SAS Link would initially operate the airline's Embraer E195 aircraft, and the operations of both companies to begin by early 2022.[46][47][48]
2022–2024: Sweden's exit, Air France-KLM entry and alliance shift
Following little progress with SAS's restructuring plan, SAS Forward, the Swedish government announced on 7 June 2022 that Sweden, which owns 21.8% of the company, would not inject new capital into SAS and that it did "not aim to be a long-term shareholder in the company".[49][50] The airline filed forChapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States on 5 July 2022.[51]
In September 2022, SAS announced it was returning at least ten aircraft to lessors, including five long-haul aircraft - amongst them two barely two year old Airbus A350s. This measure is a result of the closure of Russian airspace for flights to Asia which caused a severe drop in demand and efficiency.[52] As of November 2022, SAS announced it was searching for a buyer for one of theirAirbus A350 aircraft.[53]
In October 2023, it was announced thatAir France–KLM would be investing alongside the Danish government and two investment firms (Castlelake and Lind Invest) in SAS, with the airline group buying up to 20% of SAS shares following the airline's ongoing Chapter 11 process in the United States. With the investment (if approved by the EU Commission, and respective US and Swedish courts),[54] SAS left Star Alliance and joinedSkyTeam alongside Air France–KLM.[17][55]
On 19 March 2024, US Bankruptcy Court approved the new restructuring plan and investment, allowing SAS to exit Chapter 11 by mid 2024.[56][57] It also applied for company reorganization in Sweden on 27 March.[58] announced it would leaveStar Alliance by 31 August 2024, becoming a SkyTeam member the next day, as confirmed on 29 April.[19][59][60] On 12 June, Stockholm District Court announced that it will held a hearing for the company reorganization on 12 July,[61] eventually approving it on 19 July.[62] On 28 June, European Commission announced that it approved the restructuring plan.[63][64]
In September 2024, Scandinavian Airlines announced it would terminate its wet-leasing contract withXfly by November 2024.[65] On 17 September 2024, SAS announced a partnership withBraathens Regional Airlines (BRA), designating them as a subcontractor to operate flights fromStockholm Arlanda Airport starting in 2025, with BRA announcing it would cease operating its own domestic flight network fromStockholm Bromma Airport.[66] This collaboration, valued at approximately SEK 6 billion over seven years, aims to strengthen SAS's domestic network in Sweden, increasing daily departures to destinations such asVisby,Gothenburg,Malmö, andLuleå.[67]
On 18 September 2024, just a month after the completion of the restructuring, SAS announced expansion of the route network from Copenhagen Airport with 15 new destinations from Summer 2025. Following the new ownership structure, the airline will focus on positioning the airport as the airline's main hub for international travel.[68]
On 4 July 2025, Air France-KLM announced its intention to increase its stake in SAS’s share capital from 19.9% to 60.5%.[69]
The key trends for Scandinavian Airlines Group (which includes SAS Cargo, SAS Ground Handling, and SAS Tech), are shown below (since 2012, for years ending 31 October):[70]
The SAS Frösundavik Office Building,[90][91] was designed byNiels Torp Architects and built between 1985 and 1987. The move from Solna to Arlanda was completed in 2010.[92] A previous SAS head office was located on the grounds ofBromma Airport inStockholm.[93] In 2013, SAS announced that it once again would relocate to Frösundavik.[87]
In contrast to most other businesses and private individuals in Sweden, airlines are exempt from the Swedishcarbon tax. Had SAS paid the Swedish carbon tax level of SEK1180 (EUR114) per tonne (as of 2019[update])[95] for all of its emissions, it would have had significant impact on recent profit levels. Since 2012,airlines are included in theEU ETS. In January 2013, the price for extra emission rights on top of the granted were approximatelyEUR 6.3 per tonne. In May 2017, the price was EUR 4.9 per tonne.[96]
As of August 2025[update], Scandinavian Airlines also has the following regional aircraft operated by its subsidiaries and other carriers under wet-lease agreements:
On 20 June 2011, SAS announced an order for 30 newA320neo aircraft as part of its fleet harmonization plan.[128] SAS' stated goal is to have an all-Airbus fleet at its bases in Stockholm and Copenhagen by 2019, with a mixed A320neo and A320ceo fleet operation at both bases. The base in Oslo was then operate mostly Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with a few 737-700s also being retained at the time. The older, smaller 737-600s were disposed of in 2019.[129] The first order of A320neos was delivered in October 2016.[130]
In April 2018, SAS announced an order of 50 more A320neos to replace all 737NGs and older A320ceos in service as part of its goal to have an all-Airbus fleet by 2023.[118] The last Boeing 737 has been phased out of the fleet on 19 November 2023. ThisBoeing 737-700, registered LN-RRB and named "Dag Viking", was operating as SAS Flight 737.[citation needed] As of now, the aircraft is currently operated byCanadian North as C-FHNH.
On 25 June 2013, SAS and Airbus signed a memorandum of understanding stating that SAS intends to buy twelve new-generation aircraft, including six options. The agreement consists of eight A350-900s with six options and four A330-300Es. The first new long-haul aircraft to enter service will be the A330-300E, which was originally planned to replace the aging A340-300s in 2015 as leasing agreements on these aircraft expire. Instead, SAS renewed the leasing agreements to be able to expand its long-haul fleet and used the new A330-300Es to add more long-haul destinations to its network.[citation needed]
The first six of eight Airbus A350-900s for SAS were delivered to the airline in 2019 and were to be operating long-haul routes from 2020. The A350 will first fly on theCopenhagen andChicago route, with the airline planningBeijing,New York,Tokyo,Shanghai,Hong Kong andSan Francisco when more A350 aircraft are delivered.[131]
Airbus A319 OY-KBO, named Christian Valdemar Viking, wearing a special retro liveryAnAirbus A320-200 in the former SAS livery
In September 2019, SAS unveiled new livery for its fleet, initially implemented on new A350 and A320neo aircraft,[132] with all aircraft repainted in the following five years. The fuselage is kept in a light beige with the "SAS" logotype in silver displayed prominently across the height of the front section. The vertical stabilizer and adjacent parts of the fuselage are blue, with the SAS logo in white shown on the stabilizer. The blue area on the rear fuselage extends towards the front in a curved line. The horizontal stabilizers are beige (except for the ATR 72 aircraft, where they are blue). Winglets are blue as well. The engine casings are beige with a vertical blue stripe at the front and bear the word "Scandinavian" in blue. "Scandinavian" in large blue letters is also displayed on the underbelly of the aircraft.[132]
The previous livery, designed by SthlmLab (Stockholm Design Lab), had been introduced in 1998. SAS aircraft look predominantly white; however, the fuselage is in a very light beige (Pantone Warm Gray 2/Pantone 9083C) with "Scandinavian" above the windows in silver lettering (Pantone 877) and "Airlines" below the windows in white. The typeface used isRotis Semi Serif. The vertical stabilizer (and winglets) are painted blue (Pantone 2738C) with the classic white SAS logo on it. It is a variant of the traditional SAS logotype, slimmed slightly and stylized by the design company Stockholm Design Lab as part of the SAS livery change. The engine casing is painted in scarlet (Pantone Warm Red/Pantone 179C) with the word Scandinavian in white, thethrust reversers in the color of the fuselage. All other text is painted in Pantone Warm Gray 9. The design also features stylized versions of the Scandinavian flags. All aircraft are named, traditionally after Vikings.[citation needed]
To celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2006, SAS painted its first Airbus A319-100, with registration OY-KBO and name "Christian Valdemar Viking", inretro livery;[133] it remained in service as of 2025.[134]
On long-haul flights, business class, calledSAS Business, is offered and features wide sleeper seats. On theA330s andA350s, seating is 1-2-1 on seats that convert into 196–202-centimetre (77–80 in) flat beds, with power sockets and a 15-inch (380 mm) entertainment screen. On theA321LRs, business class has alternating 2-2 and 1-1 seating, all convertible to flat beds.[135]
Plus is SAS' premium economy class. On the A330s, seating is 2-3-2, 2-4-2 on the A350s and 2-2 on the A321LR. The seats offered on SAS Plus are wider than those in the SAS Go section.
On European flights, SAS Plus tickets are refundable and include a meal, a double checked-in baggage allowance, and access to lounges and fast track security at the airport. The SAS Plus passengers are seated at the front of the aircraft and passengers can choose their seat at booking for free, but the seats there are otherwise the same as the SAS Go seats. The two-class system was introduced in June 2013, whenbusiness class was eliminated from intra-European flights.[136]
SAS Go, or economy class, offers 3-3 seating on intracontinental flights, 2-4-2 on the A330s and 3-3-3 on the A350s.
SAS offers free coffee and tea to GO passengers on short-haul services, except very short flights likeBergen-Stavanger orStockholm-Visby. Meals are served to all passengers on long-haul flights.
SAS Go Light is a variant of SAS Go with no checked luggage included. Tickets are sold in the same booking class as SAS Go and are otherwise identical. As of 14 December 2017, SAS Go Light is available on both European and long-haul flights. SAS Go Light is aimed at competing withlow-cost carriers for those who travel with hand luggage only. Extra luggage allowance for Star Alliance Gold, andEuroBonus Silver, Gold, and Diamond members does not apply on SAS Go Light tickets and is only valid for EuroBonus Pandion members.
SAS's frequent-flyer program is called EuroBonus. Members earn points on all SAS flights, Widerøe routes with no SAS competition (except Public Service Operations) as well as on Star Alliance flights. Around 50 percent of SAS' total revenues are generated by EuroBonus members. By August 2015, the EuroBonus program had in excess of four million members.[137]
Between 1984 and 1994, SAS operated ahovercraft service betweenMalmö in Sweden andCopenhagen Airport in Denmark. Travellers could check in for their flights in Malmö and the hovercraft were operated as connecting flights. The service was operated using a handful ofBritish Hovercraft Corporation AP1-88s, which took an average journey time of 45 minutes to traverse the 27 km (17 mi) route across theØresund; within its first year of operation, hovercraft reportedly carried roughly 100,000 passengers.[138] Due to the level of demand experienced, SAS examined the prospects for introducing larger hovercraft, capable of carrying up to 200 passengers, for the service.[138] However, in 1994, the hovercraft were replaced bycatamarans. These vessels were in turn discontinued during 2000 due to the opening of theÖresund bridge, which provided a competing rail link between Malmö and Copenhagen airport.[139]
During May 2018, SAS launched a new high-speedWi‑Fi internet access system supplied byViasat. The new system was announced to enable passengers to stream movies on board. Prior to this, SAS offered Internet access on board on its long haul aircraft and a small number of Boeing 737s. Wi‑Fi internet access is free for Eurobonus Gold and Diamond members and those with Business Class tickets. Otherwise, it can be purchased with EuroBonus points or for a fee.[140]
On 10 February 2020, SAS released 2 minutes and 45 seconds long commercial onYouTube titled "What is truly Scandinavian?"[141] which tells a story about company's values and highlighting the ideas and inventions thatglobalism brought toScandinavia, which caused an outrage among right-wing groups due to its perceived denigration of Scandinavian culture.[142][143][144][145] On 12 February 2020, SAS Group, a parent company of SAS, released a statement that they would continue with the advertising campaign despite the outrage.[146]
On 13 February 2020, 3 days after commercial was published, SAS offices inAdelgade,Copenhagen and advertising agency &Co which produced the commercial receivedbomb threats.[147][148][149][150][151] Later, a shorter 45 second version of the same commercial was republished onFacebook by SAS and official version on YouTube made private.[147][150][151]
Norwegian Air quickly reacted to the controversy by publishing the message "Fortunately, nobody can take away the cheese slicer from us" (Norwegian:Heldigvis kan ingen ta fra oss ostehøvelen) and an image on Facebook of acheese slicer, which is a Norwegian invention.[152][153]
^"Number of aircraft in operation/service", at year end
^In 2012 the company changed its financial year to 1 November – 31 October, instead of the calendar year.[74] The figures above are therefore for years ending 31 December until 2011, for the 10 months to 31 October 2012, and for years ending 31 October thereafter.
^2020: Activities and income in fiscal 2020 were severely reduced by the impact of thecoronavirus pandemic[83]
^"SAS Head Office in Sweden." Scandinavian Airlines. Retrieved on 27 January 2012. "SAS Head Office Stockholm-Arlanda Kabinvägen 5 SE-195 87 Stockholm"
^"HeadquartersArchived 4 December 2021 at theWayback Machine." SAS Cargo. Retrieved on 27 January 2012. "Visiting address Kystvejen 40 DK-2770 Kastrup Denmark"
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