Tag Archives: scandinavian airlines

SAS to sell a slot-pair at London Heathrow Airport

Scandinavian Airlines-SAS (Stockholm) has announced it has entered into a slot transaction with a major unnamed international air carrier that will take over one slot-pair at London Heathrow from SAS at the beginning of the summer traffic program on March 29, 2015.

The airline continued;

The transaction will generate a positive earnings impact of the equivalent of $60 million for SAS to be accounted for during the second quarter of the fiscal year 2014/2015 with a corresponding cash effect during the fiscal year 2014/2015.

SAS is the fifth largest airline operating at London Heathrow measured in number of departures and had before this transaction 21 daily slot-pairs at London Heathrow, which now will be reduced to 20 daily slot-pairs.

SAS operates from London Heathrow to Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Oslo, Stockholm and Stavanger. Even after the transaction, SAS will continue to offer a strong and comprehensive network between Scandinavia and London Heathrow. The intention is to keep the seat capacity to/from London Heathrow through the use of larger aircraft on remaining departures. Furthermore, SAS will consider the use of other airports in the London-region.

SAS aircraft slide show:

http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-Europe-3/Airlines-Europe3-QZ/Scandinavian-Airlines-SAS

SAS to complete the acquisition of Cimber on March 1, will transfer the CRJ900s

Scandinavian Airlines-SAS (Stockholm) has announced it has received approval from the Danish Competition and Consumer Authority to finish the acquisition of Cimber (Sonderborg). SAS will complete the acquisition and will transfer its 12 Bombardier CRJ900s to Cimber. The airline issued this statement:

SAS is completing the acquisition of Cimber after meeting all of the terms of the transaction, including approval from the Danish Competition and Consumer Authority. SAS has appointed Kent Hansen as the new president of the airline. He will succeed the current president on March 1, 2015.

On December 8, 2014, SAS announced that it had agreed to acquire 100% of the shares in Cimber, that the value of the transaction was MDKK 20 and that the transaction was subject to customary terms including receiving approval from the Danish competition authority.

The Danish Competition and Consumer Authority has notified its approval of SAS’s acquisition of Cimber. In parallel, the remaining terms of the agreement have been met and, accordingly, SAS’s acquisition of Cimber can now be completed.

As previously announced, the acquisition means an opportunity for SAS to transfer production by its 12 Bombardier CRJ900s to Cimber, thereby, allowing more focused and flexible production to be achieved.

The transfer is planned to be completed on March 1, 2015.

Copyright Photo: Rolf Wallner/AirlinersGallery.com. Bombardier CRJ900 (CL-600-2D24) OY-KFI (msn 15242) of SAS taxies at Zurich.

SAS aircraft slide show:

http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-Europe-3/Airlines-Europe3-QZ/Scandinavian-Airlines-SAS

SAS to launch an improved business class experience on January 28

Scandinavian Airlines-SAS (Stockholm) has announced it will launch a new improved business class experience for its long-haul flights staring on January 28. The airline issued this statement:

On January 28, SAS is launching an improved service concept in SAS Business on all its long haul flights. Customers will enjoy a restaurant experience in the air with an even greater number of choices, even more personal service and high quality in every respect.

SAS is currently in the process of updating its long haul fleet. This includes the renovation of seven existing aircraft and the introduction of new aircraft from fall 2015. The food and drink experience onboard in SAS Business is also being improved and customers will notice changes from January 28.

Additional choice and more personal service will be the most noticeable changes for customers in SAS Business. For example, they will have an extra starter and main course to choose from. To increase the restaurant feel and provide an even more personal service, proper tablecloths and porcelain will be used and food will be served from a service trolley to minimize the use of trays.

The improved service concept will be available on all SAS long haul flights from January 28. SAS’s long haul destinations from Scandinavia are New York (JFK), Washington (Dulles), Chicago (O’Hare), San Francisco, Houston (Bush Intercontinental), Beijing, Shanghai and Tokyo (Narita). On September 10, 2015, SAS will open a new route from Stockholm (Arlanda) to Hong Kong.

Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. Scandinavian Airlines-SAS Airbus A330-343 SE-REF (msn 568) in the Star Alliance scheme arrives at Dulles International Airport near Washington.

SAS aircraft slide show:

http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-Europe-3/Airlines-Europe3-QZ/Scandinavian-Airlines-SAS

SAS Group slips back into the red for its fiscal year

SAS Group (Scandinavian Airlines-SAS) (Stockholm) at its annual meeting discussed its financial results for its fiscal year 2013-2014 and also issued its annual report. The group fell back into a net loss of 719 million SEK ($88.4 million) for the year.

The group is coming under continued pressure from lower cost carriers in its markets (especially from Norwegian Air Shuttle) and also from the major European carriers, such as British Airways-Iberia, Lufthansa and Air France-KLM, shifting its European operations to its lower cost subsidiaries such as Vueling Airlines, Germanwings, Transavia Airlines and Hop!

SAS Group’s share of the Scandinavian market:

The group summarized its fiscal year:

“The results for the 2013/2014 fiscal year reflect a year characterized by substantial overcapacity and pressure on yield and unit revenue, and in which market conditions stabilized slightly toward the end of the year.”

The group also issued this outlook for 2015:

“SAS is continuing the intensive efforts to strengthen competitiveness. The potential exists for SAS to post a positive EBT before tax and nonrecurring items in the 2014/2015 fiscal year. This is provided that the economy does not weaken, that the trend continues in terms of reduced capacity and lower jet fuel prices, is maintained, that exchange rates are not subject to further deterioration and that no unexpected events occur.”

Fleet streamling:

In the 2013/2014 fiscal year, SAS phased in one long-haul aircraft and five medium-haul aircraft with modern cabins, in parallel with phasing out the last two Boeing 737 Classics. SAS also returned 11 MD-80s and seven Boeing 737 Classics that were taken out of service in the 2013 calendar year. With the phasing out of the MD-80 fleet and Boeing 737 Classics, SAS achieved an in-service aircraft fleet comprising only Next Generation aircraft in 2013/2014. SAS now has only one type of medium-haul aircraft per base, which provides a more stable and more efficient operational and technical plat- form. In addition, SAS plans to further streamline regional aircraft operations by phasing out Boeing 717s in 2015. SAS intends to transfer the CRJ900s to Cimber.

In addition, SAS has placed orders for four Airbus A330Es and eight Airbus A350s with delivery from 2015 to 2021, as well as 30 Airbus A320neo with delivery from 2016 to 2019. The first long-haul aircraft are expected to be in-service in autumn 2015. The introduction of long and medium-haul aircraft means SAS will be able to offer fre- quent travelers a world-class customer experience in parallel with lowering fuel and maintenance costs.

SAS Group’s strategy:

Read the full yearly financial report: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: SPA/AirlinersGallery.com. The SAS Group still operates both the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 Next-Generation family of aircraft in a very mixed short haul fleet. With the new A320neo aircraft being added the Boeing 737 fleet will be gradually reduced. Airbus A320-232 OY-KAP (msn 3086) arrives in London (Heathrow).

SAS aircraft slide show:

http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-Europe-3/Airlines-Europe3-QZ/Scandinavian-Airlines-SAS

SAS Group to phase out the remaining five Blue1 Boeing 717s in 2015, reports a full-year net loss of $92.4 million

Scandinavian Airlines-SAS (Stockholm) issued its year-end financial report for the period ending on October 30, 2014. The company continues to reduce its losses. The Group report a SEK (Swedish Krona) 719 million ($92.4 million) full-year net loss.

The comments by the CEO:

“SAS has delivered the promised efficiency measures, with declining unit costs as a consequence. In parallel, passenger growth was strong and the load factor posted a year-on-year improvement for the eighth successive month. However, earnings were impacted by intense com- petition and strong price pressure. This trend is expected to continue. External production models, proprietary low cost carriers and the use of staffing agencies are increasingly becoming the established indus- try norm and are changing competitive conditions for European avia- tion from the ground up.

To meet these challenges and strengthen competitiveness, we are implementing additional long-term cost-saving measures that spans the entire business and together generates an earnings impact of SEK 2.1 billion with full effect in 2017. Measures include our continued opti- mization of production and streamlining the aircraft fleet. On December 8, 2014, the Danish airline Cimber was acquired as part of this strategy and SAS intends to transfer regional CRJ900 production to Cimber in 2015. We are also enhancing our offering to our frequent travelers. For example, in 2015, the first of the new Airbus A330 Enhanced long-haul aircraft will be delivered to SAS and, in Septem- ber, a new direct route from Stockholm to Asia will be opened.”

Rickard Gustafson, SAS President and CEO.

As part of its cost reduction plan, SAS stated the following in its financial report about Blue1 (Helsinki):

“During the year, SAS has reduced capacity at Blue1 by about 40% as a result of the decision to divest four Boeing 717s. The five remaining Boeing 717s will be phased out in 2015. As a consequence, the SAS aircraft fleet will only comprise four aircraft types compared with nine types in 2012. SAS has also transformed Blue1 into a competitive production company and future production is currently being evaluated.”

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Top Copyright Photo: SPA/AirlinersGallery.com. SAS’ Boeing 737-7BX SE-RER (msn 30736) arrives in London (Heathrow).

SAS aircraft slide show:

Bottom Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 717-2K9 OH-BLO (msn 55056) taxies from the gate at Amsterdam.

Blue1 aircraft slide show:

http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-Europe-1/Airlines-Europe-1/Blue1

SAS and Etihad Airways announce a codeshare agreement

Scandinavian Airlines-SAS (Stockholm) has announce a new codeshare agreement with Etihad Airways (Abu Dhabi). Etihad Airways is building an alliance of carriers.

Here is the official announcement:

SAS and Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, are set to begin codeshare operations and provide customers with enhanced travel options between Scandinavia and the UAE.

The agreement, which is subject to regulatory approval, will strengthen both carriers by enabling them to offer greater connectivity to and from a number of key European cities. SAS is Etihad Airways’ 47th airline partnership globally and its 22nd in Europe. For SAS, Etihad is the 23rd codeshare partner and the third with strong presence in the Middle East.

Both airlines will also develop and sign a Frequent Flyer agreement, which will benefit the members of Etihad Airways’ Etihad Guest and SAS’ EuroBonus loyalty programs.

The deal will see SAS place its SK code on Etihad Airways’ flights between Abu Dhabi and Brussels, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Rome, Milan, Zurich, Geneva and London Heathrow.

In turn, Etihad Airways will place its EY code on SAS-operated flights from these European destinations, excluding Brussels, onto SAS’ hubs in Copenhagen, Oslo, and Stockholm.

The EY code will also be placed on flights beyond Copenhagen to Billund and Ålesund; beyond Oslo to Ålesund, Kristiansand, Trondheim, and Stavanger; and beyond Stockholm to Umeå, Sundsvall, and Östersund.

Top Copyright Photo: SPA/AirlinersGallery.com. SAS’ Boeing 737-705 LN-TUF (msn 28222) arrives in London (Heathrow).

Scandinavian Airlines aircraft slide show:

Etihad Airways aircraft slide show:

Bottom Copyright Photo: Gerd Beilfuss/AirlinersGallery.com. Another view of Etihad Airways’ first Airbus A380 at Hamburg (Finkenwerder). The pictured A380-861 F-WWSS (msn 166) will become A6-APA on delivery.

SAS signs a contract with Statoil Aviation for a regular supply of biofuel at Oslo, Norway

Scandinavian Airlines-SAS (Stockholm) has issued this statement regarding a regular supply of biofuel at Oslo Airport:

SAS has, along with the Lufthansa Group and KLM, signed an agreement with Statoil Aviation for a regular supply of biofuel at Oslo Airport.

SAS was first off the ground in Norway and from Stockholm Arlanda in Sweden with a biofuel mix around a week ago and this agreement shows the airline takes its corporate social responsibility seriously in reducing its green house gas emissions.

Via an agreement signed with Avinor and the above named airlines, Statoil Aviation is to supply 2.5 million liters of biofuel to the refueling facility at Oslo Airport. With a 50% biofuel mix, this will fuel around 3,000 flights between Oslo and Bergen and make OSL the first major airport in the world to offer a regular supply of biofuel as part of daily operations from March 2015.

Via a continuous renewal of its airline fleet and a comprehensive environment efficiency drive in the air and on the ground, SAS has reduced its total CO2 emissions by the airline by around 13% since 2005.

The airline has also enjoyed an increase in production over the same period. SAS is also the first and only airline in Scandinavia whose fleet consists exclusively of next generation jet aircraft.

From next year, the most energy efficient short and long-haul aircraft will be rolled out one after the other: Airbus A330 Enhanced, Airbus A320 Neo, followed by the Airbus A350.

SAS aims to use synthetic fuel on an increasingly regular basis in the next few years, and expects biofuel to become competitive with the fossil fuel alternative. For this to happen, a general environment and tax policy will be required from governments, based on aviation being a form of internationally competitive public transport with thin profit margins.

SAS aircraft slide show:

SAS today operates a biofuel (cooking oil) flight from Stockholm

Scandinavian Airlines-SAS (Stockholm) issued this statement today:

SAS today (November 7) flew from Stockholm (Arlanda) to Östersund (flight SK 2064) with a 10 % blend in of a certified JET A1 based on re-used cooking oil. The fuel was distributed and delivered by Statoil Aviation and SkyNRG. The flight was also supported by Swedavia.

The synthetic JET A1 as well as the blended JET A1 is certified according to ASTM D7566 and D1655. This flight was not only the first of its kind for SAS but also the first flight from Arlanda Airport.

SAS has worked for over ten years to accelerate the commercialization of renewable fuels. Renewable fuels are crucial on the journey towards a more sustainable aviation. This type of flight proof that solutions exist and focus on creating conditions for this to become a reality on a large scale is essential.

During next week a flight is planned from Trondheim to Oslo in Norway on a 48% blend in of certified synthetic JET A1.

Copyright Photo: Stefan Sjogren/AirlinersGallery.com. The biofuel flight was operated with a Boeing 737-600. Boeing 737-683 SE-DNX (msn 28304) arrives at Stockholm (Arlanda).

SAS aircraft slide show:

SAS to launch new nonstop European routes starting on March 29, 2015

Scandinavian Airlines-SAS (Stockholm) is opening six new nonstop routes from Scandinavian airports to major European cities, two of which are completely new routes: for the first time, SAS customers can fly to Salzburg and Ankara with SAS for their summer vacation.

Ankara, capital and second-largest city in Turkey, will be the second Turkish destination served by SAS, Gazipasa near Alanya being the first.

As well as launching nine new summer routes, including a new inter-Scandinavian route between Bergen and Gothenburg, SAS is adding more frequencies on inter-Scandinavian routes in winter 2014/2015 and will continue to do so into summer 2015. This includes more nonstop flights between Stavanger and Trondheim and between Bergen and Ålesund. The Copenhagen-Gothenburg route is getting two additional daily departures, bringing the total to eight in the summer timetable. The Stockholm-Gothenburg route is also getting a new morning departure on Mondays in both directions.

In addition to the new routes, SAS is also re-opening its popular 2014 holiday destinations in the 2015 summer timetable to popular destinations such as Chania, Palermo and Pisa.

Timetables for new routes:

Denmark

– Copenhagen-Edinburgh: Departures on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, with daily departures in the summer peak season. First departure March 29, 2015.
– Copenhagen-Ankara: Departure on Saturday, and on Monday and Wednesday in the summer peak season. First departure April 04, 2015.

Sweden

– Stockholm-Budapest: Departures on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. No departures in the summer peak season. First departure March 29, 2015.
– Stockholm-Faro: Departure on Saturday, and on Wednesday in the summer peak season. First departure April 04, 2015.
– Stockholm-Ankara: Departure on Tuesday. First departure June 30, 2015.
– Gothenburg-Alanya (Gazipasa): Departure on Wednesday. First departure July 01, 2015.
– Gothenburg-Dublin: Departure on Saturday, and on Wednesday and Sunday in the summer peak season. First departure April 04.

Norway

– Oslo-Salzburg: Departure on Saturday. First departure May 23.
– Bergen-Gothenburg: Departures on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. No departures in the summer peak season. First departure March 30.

Timetables for expanded and re-opened routes

Expansion of inter-Scandinavian routes

Copenhagen-Gothenburg: Increased from six to eight daily departures
Oslo-Bergen: Up to 16 daily departures
Stavanger-Trondheim: More direct flights
Bergen-Ålesund: More direct flights
Stockholm-Gothenburg: New morning departure in both directions.
Stockholm-Luleå: Increased from seven to nine departures in both directions on Sunday.

Re-opened peak summer routes

Denmark

From Copenhagen to Dubrovnik, Split, Pula, Montpellier, Biarritz, Chania, Thessaloniki, Palermo, Napoli, Pisa, Gazipasa and Alicante.
From Billund, the route to Gazipasa in Turkey is re-opening.

Norway

From Trondheim to Malaga and Barcelona.
From Bergen to Split, Dubrovnik, Nice, Malaga, Barcelona and Alanya (Gazipasa).
From Stavanger to Split, Nice, Malaga, Barcelona and Alanya (Gazipasa).
From Kristiansand to Split.
From Oslo to Dubrovnik, Pula, Olbia, Pisa, Palermo and Pristina.

Sweden

From Gothenburg to Pula, Nice, Athens, Pristina, Alicante and Palma de Mallorca.
From Stockholm to Chania, Cagliari, Olbia, Biarritz, Palermo, Pisa, Pristina, Bristol and Bodø.

SAS Aircraft Slide Show:

SAS introduces a new “We Are Travelers” advertising campaign

Scandinavian Airlines-SAS (Stockholm) has introduced a new advertising campaign called “We Are Travelers”. The airline issued this statement and video:

SAS has launched a new marketing concept “We Are Travelers”. This concept reinforces the idea of travel as part of our way of life and it also
celebrates the joy and anticipation we feel before a flight.

“Travel is a way of life for many Scandinavians; we love to travel and we do it a lot. It is an important part of who we are. Here at SAS, we are very familiar with this lifestyle, because it is our way of life too,” says Stefan Hedelius, Vice President Brand & Marketing at SAS.

“We Are Travelers” is a long-term concept that reflects the fact that SAS is the obvious choice for frequent travelers in Scandinavia. The concept is based on a deep understanding of the positive emotions associated with flying and how we at SAS can enhance the joy of travel, as well as the fact that people who travel a lot have a greater need for smooth and efficient travel.

“Even those who travel frequently see flying as being so much more than just transportation. It is about taking a break from everyday life and about the anticipation of going somewhere, whether you are travelling on business or looking for new experiences on vacation. We travel to be part of the wider world, to feel important and needed, and to grow as human beings,” says Stefan Hedelius.

The insight into our way of life and the emotions attached to travel is the result of our extensive long-term efforts to listen to our frequent travelers in focus groups and through broader customer surveys. We want to make life easier
for frequent travelers in Scandinavia and the best way to do that is by listening to them.

Initial campaign presents travel profiles – of customers and employees

Using portraits of real customers and employees, SAS wants to show that there are many different kinds of travelers, but they all have something in common – they love to travel and they do so often.

Our new concept is being launched through a campaign – via SAS’s own channels, on TV, in print, online and outdoor advertising – in Sweden, Norway and Denmark. The campaign starts with an emotional film that pays tribute to aviation and all of us who love to travel.

During the fall, SAS will be releasing several shorter films featuring SAS crew and customers, all chosen because they love to travel, they travel a lot and because they are interesting people.

Top Copyright Photo: Stefan Sjogren/AirlinersGallery.com (all others by SAS). Scandinavian Airlines’ Airbus A320-232 OY-KAN (msn 2958) completes its final approach to the runway at the Stockholm (Arlanda) hub.

Scandinavian Airlines-SAS: