SAS cancels more flights in coming months

Beleaguered airline to scrap 1,700 departures in September and October due to lingering effects of staff shortages and the pilot strike

It’s not been quite the summer that SAS was hoping for. Far from it. 

Instead of emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic and earning on increased traffic, a staff shortage, pilot strike, the War in Ukraine, and high oil and gas prices sent the airline into a steep nosedive towards the abyss of bankruptcy as it was forced to cancel over 7,000 flights over the summer.

The airline got some relief at least, thanks to new US investment and the Danish government agreeing to continue to support it. 

READ ALSO: New hope for SAS as US company confirms plans to invest

Over 9,000 flights scrapped
Now there is more bad news for SAS following revelations by aviation media check-in.dk that the airline has been forced to cancel another 1,700 flights in September and October.

The reason continues to be staff shortages and, of the 1,700 scrapped flights, 300 were due to depart from Copenhagen Airport.

“We don’t see a reduction in demand – on the contrary. But the strike will impact our staffing in the coming months as there is a holiday backlog,” SAS head of communications, Alexandra Lindgren Kaoukji, told check-in.dk.

With the latest round of cancellations, SAS has axed over 9,000 flights over the past few months.