DATA SPOTLIGHT: SAS Scandinavian Airlines

8 June, 2020

This year The Blue Swan Daily will feature some of the leading airlines, airports and country markets for air travel. Here, using the extensive profile insights available to CAPA - Centre for Aviation members to deliver a data snapshot, we look at SAS Scandinavian Airlines, which from the start of Jun-2020 has been boosting its operations as part of a phased growth strategy.

SAS has maintained a skeletal service during the pandemic serving a limited network in Norway and Sweden, but restored additional intra-Scandinavian and European routes over the past two weeks. It plans to increase capacity from 15 to 30 aircraft, with plans to resume 16 new routes from Copenhagen and serve all of its markets in Norway. At the end of Jun-2020, the carrier will also resume services from Stockholm to select Mediterranean destinations.

The carrier is braced for a challenging recovery. "Even though no one can foresee exactly how passenger demand will evolve in the coming months and years, it is clear that it will take a much longer time than previously anticipated, " said CEO, Rickard Gustafson added: "In our view, it will take until 2022 before demand starts to reach pre-Covid-19 levels."

The European flag carrier is pursuing a revised business plan generating SEK4 billion (EUR379.5 million) in further improvements by 2022 and remains in active, intensive and constructive discussions with the company's major shareholders and selected stakeholders on a recapitalisation plan to ensure the future of SAS.

This includes realisation of its key business priorities of necessary increased productivity and a continuation of the green transition. Its CEO, Rickard Gustafson, said any potential solution will require both government and market participation, as well as burden sharing measures involving internal, external and financial stakeholders in the company.

On a positive note, SAS's first Airbus A321LR (MSN 9541) has been painted in the carrier's recently introduced new livery at the Airbus Hamburg Finkenwerder facility. The aircraft will be configured with 22 premium, 12 economy premium and 123 economy seats. It was initially planned to be used on Copenhagen-Boston service from 18-Sep-2020, but it is not clear how the new type will now be deployed.

ABOUT
The SAS Group is a airline holding company based in Stockholm, Sweden and is the parent company of several Scandinavian carriers including Scandinavian Airlines, Blue1 and Cimber A/S. The pan-Scandinavian group of airlines operate an extensive European network of air services as well as international services to the US, Middle-East and Asia from its four main hubs at Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen and Helsinki. SAS plans to establish an Irish subsidiary at London Heathrow and Malaga. Originally founded in 1951, the SAS group is headquartered on the grounds of Stockholm Arlanda Airport. The governments of Sweden, Denmark and Norway each hold shares in the company with the remaining shares listed on the Stockholm, Oslo and Copenhagen stock exchanges. Wholly-owned subsidiaries of the SAS group include: Scandinavian Airlines (since 1951), Cimber A/S (since Feb-2015) and SAS Ireland (from Dec-2017).

GLOBAL RANKING (as at 08-Jun-2020)

NETWORK MAP (as at 08-Jun-2020)

DESTINATIONS (as at 08-Jun-2020)

ANNUAL PASSENGER TRAFFIC (2010 - 2020YTD)

CAPACITY SNAPSHOT (versus same week last year)

ANNUAL CAPACITY (2012-2020*)(NOTE:The values for this year are at least partly predictive up to 6 months and may be subject to change)

WEEKLY DOMESTIC CAPACITY (2017 - 2020*)(NOTE:The values for this year are at least partly predictive up to 6 months and may be subject to change)

WEEKLY INTERNATIONAL CAPACITY (2017 - 2020*)(NOTE:The values for this year are at least partly predictive up to 6 months and may be subject to change)

CAPACITY SPLIT BETWEEN DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS (w/c 08-Jun-2020)

LARGEST NETWORK POINT (w/c 08-Jun-2020)

BUSIEST DOMESTIC ROUTES BY CAPACITY (w/c 08-Jun-2020)

LARGEST INTERNATIONAL MARKETS BY COUNTRY (w/c 08-Jun-2020)

BUSIEST INTERNATIONAL ROUTES BY CAPACITY (w/c 08-Jun-2020)

DEPARTING SYSTEM SEATS BY CLASS (w/c 08-Jun-2020)

AVERAGE FLIGHT LENGTH (w/c 08-Jun-2020)

FLEET SUMMARY (as at 08-Jun-2020)

AVERAGE FLEET AGE (as at 08-Jun-2020)

MORE INSIGHT...

European airline cash: new credit and state aid boosts some

Scandinavia to N America aviation: Norwegian's cuts strengthen SAS

European airlines: 'same brand, different operator' model is growing

New European airports are few and far between but Santa Claus delivered one to a mountainous region on the Swedish/Norwegian border in time for the holidays

SAS rewards programme now offers rock concerts in Scandinavia - all part of a growing trend