SAS has unveiled plans to boost its summer flying schedule towards vital international markets. A decision comes following substantial increases in demand across markets within the USA and Asia.
Analysing SAS’ Flying Adjustments
SAS says it’ll increase the frequency of its Copenhagen to New York JFK service to twice daily. Interestingly, both daily flights will be operated by the Airbus A321LR. This aircraft type is quickly becoming popular with operators across Transatlantic routes.
Boston will be subject to an increase of one additional weekly flight, bringing the total from the previous six per week to daily. SAS says the Airbus A350 is operated on this service, which will double the number of seats.
Canada will also see a boost in flying, with a fourth weekly flight from Copenhagen offered towards Toronto. The carrier notes that the adjusted departure times will make connecting in Copenhagen easier.
Despite focusing on North America, SAS also sees rising demand for destinations within Asia, reflected in further adjustments.
With the Easter period being typically busy, SAS is addressing the need for more services by extending flights to Bangkok. As part of the change, the extension will run with a weekly flight until April 20, 2024.
Lastly, SAS says that from April 25, 2024, the routes to Shanghai and Tokyo will increase three to four times a week. As a result, further capacity will be offered for passenger and freighter needs.
Summarising The SAS International Network
Following the adjustments in flying announced by SAS in 2024, it will offer a robust schedule to destinations worldwide.
The following destinations will feature in 2024 for the summer program:
- New York (EWR & JFK)
- Chicago (ORD)
- Boston (BOS)
- Washington D.C. (IAD)
- Los Angeles (LAX)
- San Francisco (SFO)
- Miami (MIA) until April 07
- Toronto (YYZ)
- Tokyo (HND)
- Shanghai (PVG)
- Bangkok (BKK) until April 20
The SAS Fleet
Per data, a fleet of 86 in-service units make up the day to day operations. However, the total fleet has changed recently as the company has undergone a transformational program.
As a result of all these adjustments, key aircraft types were removed to streamline and cut costs.
Now, the carrier operates with several important fleet types. Notably, this includes 3 A350-900s. However, data shows they previously had 3 more to their name, bringing the total to 6. Additionally, the airline flies 8 Airbus A330-300s.
The next-generation fleet at SAS sees operations with three Airbus A321neos and 36 A320neos. These planes have massively improved efficiency while also opening up new route possibilities.
Air France-KLM Buys Into SAS
Despite the recent expansion, SAS is a company known for its fair share of struggles, evidenced by a reduction in the fleet.
However, at the beginning of October, SAS revealed that it had selected the winner of a long-standing bid for a takeover of some capacity.
As part of the news, Air France-KLM would take a stake in SAS to help shape the carrier better for the future.
Following the decision by the airline, the new makeup of the airline, subject to all the regulatory approval, would be as follows:
- Castlelake Investment Fund at 32%
- Danish Government at 25.8%
- Air France-KLM at 19.9%
- Lind Invest at 8.6%
Ultimately, for the carrier, along with future expansion, the move to have Air France-KLM take a significant focus in the company is enormous for their long-term future.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Daniel Fowkes is a Melbourne-based aviation analyst and journalist with over a decade of industry experience. As founder of Dj’s Aviation, he delivers trusted analysis on aircraft, airline strategy and global aviation trends for djsaviation.net
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