SAS Retires Last Boeing 737

SAS has farewelled its long-standing Boeing 737 after many decades worth of operation.

Saying Goodbye To The 737

Flight SK737 departed from Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN) and arrived at Oslo Gardermoen Airport (OSL) on Sunday evening.

It was a landmark flight as the company said goodbye to a plane that has been so important to the day-to-day operations for decades.

While the route would’ve typically been quick, the aircraft flew south towards Copenhagen, where it flew over the base of SAS.

The service was operated by LN-RRB, a 737-783 with a serial number 32276.

This 737-700 was first delivered to the SAS Group in 2007, specifically to the now-shut SAS Norge division.

In 2009, it moved to the mainline SAS, where it adorned the name Dag Viking. Across its history, this variant and all 737s were crucial to covering the European network for SAS.

A Long-Standing Relationship With The 737

SAS has operated several variants of the 737 family since the late 1900s, with the -400 up to the -800, all featuring at different points for the company.

planespotters.net data highlights the specifics behind the variants previously flown and associated units.

The airline flew 4 737-400s, alongside 20 737-500s. However, some of the more prominent variants included the 737-600, where they had 30 to their name.

This was only to be beaten out by 31 of the recently retired 737-700s and the ever-reliable and popular 737-800. SAS had 31 of these to its name throughout company history.

Looking Ahead For SAS

Looking ahead, SAS is a company in a significant stage of rebuilding and assessing the fleet for future success.

The airline has broadly struggled across recent history and has been forced to remove aircraft and entire series to cut losses.

The Airbus A320neo will become a leading part of the airline’s future narrowbody operations. This aircraft is more modern and comes with enhanced efficiency, which can benefit the group significantly.

While the retirement of the 737 marks the end of an era for a carrier that has struggled across recent history, it allows them to position themselves significantly better to offer a robust service into the future.

The Current SAS Fleet

Across the mainline SAS fleet, Cirium data shows the company flies 107 aircraft currently with ten units in storage.

When measured by active units, the airline’s most significant fleet type is unsurprisingly the A320neo with 36. 28 in-service CRJ900s follow this.

The airline also has 19 of the A320ceos as it continues transitioning towards more fuel-efficient next-generation aircraft.

SAS’s next-generation fleet becomes increasingly evident through the acquisition of the A321neo and a few A350-900s still in service.