SAS close to being dethroned despite financial turnaround

Norwegian closing in on the lion’s share of passengers

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) has revealed a stunning turnaround for the second quarter, posting a profit of 226 million kroner.

The result is a significant improvement compared to the same period last year when the airline presented a loss of 648 million kroner.

“This improvement was primarily driven by a positive trend for unit revenue, which climbed 6.8 percent. Income before tax was positively impacted by the divestment of two slot pairs at London Heathrow,” said Rickard Gustafson, the president and CEO of SAS.

“SAS is investing in the future, and the new, simplified collective agreements for pilots create the prerequisites for future expansion and, as a consequence, SAS is increasing its long-haul fleet by three additional aircraft.”

READ MORE: Q1 losses not as bad as anticipated for SAS

Norwegian closing in
But despite the positive results in the financial arena, SAS is on the cusp of being dethroned as the crown jewel of the Scandinavian skies.

According to the Norwegian newspaper Aftensposten, rival airline Norwegian could take over SAS’s position as the Scandinavian airline with the most passengers.

Norwegian continues to grow and purchase new aircraft and SAS only transported 50,000 more passengers than Norwegian in the month of May.

But despite potentially losing the ‘biggest in Scandinavia’ title the airline has held since it was founded almost 60 years ago in 1947, SAS isn’t concerned.

“It means nothing to us. Being the biggest is a phenomenon that only the media is concerned with,” Eivind Roald, the deputy head of sales and marketing, told TV2 News.

“The most important thing for us is continuing to be profitable. And then we consider growth.”

TOP STORIES

  • Bestselling author of ‘The Year of Living Danishly’ Helen Russell on why she moved back to the UK after 12 years

    Bestselling author of ‘The Year of Living Danishly’ Helen Russell on why she moved back to the UK after 12 years

    After more than a decade living in Denmark, Russell shares why she made the move, how she’s coping, what she already misses, and the exciting new projects she’s working on. “It’s been a very tough decision. I love Denmark, and it will always hold a special place in my heart,” she says.

  • Denmark launches first AI supercomputer

    Denmark launches first AI supercomputer

    The new Gefion AI supercomputer is one of the world’s fastest and will accelerate research and provide new opportunities in Danish academia and industry.

  • Navigating big love, big moves and big feelings

    Navigating big love, big moves and big feelings

    Experts believe it takes seven years to move into a new culture, according to leading Danish psychologist Jette Simon and therapist Vibeke Hartkorn. For expat couples, the challenges of starting a new life together in Denmark can put pressure on relationships, but emotions-focused therapy can help.

  • More and more Danes are working after retirement age

    More and more Danes are working after retirement age

    Politicians debate a lot these days about when you can retire. The reality shows that an increasing number of Danes like to work, even if they can withdraw from the labor market. Financial incentives help.

  • Environmental activist fears death in prison if extradited to Japan

    Environmental activist fears death in prison if extradited to Japan

    Canadian-born environmental activist Paul Watson has been in prison in Greenland for almost 100 days awaiting an extradition decision for a 14-year-old offence against a Japanese whaling vessel that he calls a “minor misdemeanor”. The 73-year-old had previously passed through Ireland, Switzerland, Monaco, France and the USA without trouble, before Greenlandic police arrested him in July.

  • Denmark too slow to ease recruitment rules for non-EU service workers, say industry associations

    Denmark too slow to ease recruitment rules for non-EU service workers, say industry associations

    When the Danish government in January presented the first of its schemes to make it easier to recruit foreign labour from outside the EU, it was hailed by the healthcare and service sectors as a timely and important policy shift. But while healthcare changes have been forthcoming, the service sector is still struggling, say the directors of the industry association Dansk Industri and one of the country’s largest private employers ISS.

Connect club

Connect Club is your gateway to a vibrant programme of events and an international community in Denmark.

Sign up here

Career

  • Come and join us at Citizens Days!

    Come and join us at Citizens Days!

    On Friday 27 and Saturday 28 of September, The Copenhagen Post will be at International Citizen Days in Øksnehallen on Vesterbro, Copenhagen. Admission is free and thousands of internationals are expected to attend

  • Diversifying the Nordics: How a Nigerian economist became a beacon for inclusivity in Scandinavia

    Diversifying the Nordics: How a Nigerian economist became a beacon for inclusivity in Scandinavia

    Chisom Udeze, the founder of Diversify – a global organization that works at the intersection of inclusion, democracy, freedom, climate sustainability, justice, and belonging – shares how struggling to find a community in Norway motivated her to build a Nordic-wide professional network. We also hear from Dr. Poornima Luthra, Associate Professor at CBS, about how to address bias in the workplace.

  • Lolland Municipality launches support package for accompanying spouses

    Lolland Municipality launches support package for accompanying spouses

    Lolland Municipality, home to Denmark’s largest infrastructure project – the Fehmarnbelt tunnel connection to Germany – has launched a new jobseeker support package for the accompanying partners of international employees in the area. The job-to-partner package offers free tailored sessions on finding a job and starting a personal business.

Want to advertise your job with CPH Post?

Contact us

Jobs