Summary
- SAS is considering additional long-haul growth from its Oslo and Stockholm hubs, with a focus on the A321LR for said expansion.
- The CEO emphasizes North America as a key market for growth, especially through new SkyTeam partnerships.
- We list some of the possible routes from ARN and OSL based on roundtrip booking data from 2023.
In an interview with ch-aviation in Dubai at the International Air Transport Association (IATA) AGM earlier this month, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) CEO Anko van der Werff noted the possibility of long-haul expansion from the airline’s Oslo, Norway, and Stockholm, Sweden, hubs, with the Airbus A321LR playing a key role.
Speaking at Routes Europe in Aarhus, Denmark, in April, van der Werff noted North America as a key market for future growth for the two airports, especially with the airline’s entry into the SkyTeam airline alliance.
Photo: The Global Guy | Shutterstock
SAS’ growth on the intercontinental front from Oslo’s Gandermoen Airport (OSL) and Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN) has been extremely limited, save for the service to Newark from both of these cities.
Nevertheless, it admits that Copenhagen will likely remain the primary airport for long-haul expansion despite plans to offer more flights from the Swedish and Norwegian capital cities.
A shift to Oslo and Stockholm
Despite being named SAS, the carrier’s long-haul growth has been primarily concentrated in Denmark, from Copenhagen’s Kastrup Airport (CPH). The CEO commented on the development, explaining that the airline could grow even more thanks to its new partnership with Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines.
“We were probably a bit too decentralised [in the past]. So what we have done in terms of widebodies is cluster them around Copenhagen. We still have flights from Oslo Gardermoen and from Stockholm Arlanda to New York Newark. I think that over time, both Stockholm and Oslo could actually get something more once we have a successful partnership with Delta in place, for instance, then we would definitely be able to do something more.”
Photo: SAS
From Copenhagen, SAS currently operates long-haul flights to the following North American destinations.
- Atlanta
- New York-JFK
- Newark
- Boston
- Washington DC.
- Los Angeles
- Chicago
- San Francisco
- Toronto
Atlanta, the latest addition to this list, was launched earlier this month. The carrier’s agreement with Delta allows its customers to connect to other flights in the US.
The importance of SkyTeam and partnerships
This Delta partnership will be key to additional expansion elsewhere, as well as new agreements with other SkyTeam member airlines. Speaking at Routes Europe, the CEO said:
“We want to get to a new level of partnerships. I am a firm believer that what we’re have right now within Star is setting us back in time. Airline partnerships have evolved. A codeshare cooperation is nice—and we’re definitely going to [codeshare] with our SkyTeam partners—but I think the real benefit is in joint bottom-line management in one way or another.”
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Air France-KLM recently purchased a 19.9% stake in the Scandinavian airline, pushing it to leave Star Alliance and move towards its new SkyTeam-member stakeholders. SkyTeam membership, for one, means that SAS customers will also see a change in transit options.
“For people who have always connected in Frankfurt or Munich, they’ll now start connecting Paris and Amsterdam. If they connected in Newark, they’ll now connect in [New York] JFK. If they connected in Chicago, it will now be Atlanta.”
Where could SAS fly from Stockholm and Oslo?
In terms of North American long-haul expansion, booking data from 2023 shows the following options from Stockholm topping the list not served by SAS, based on point-to-point roundtrip passengers in 2023.
- New York (JFK): 54,804
- Los Angeles: 53,450
- Miami (MIA): 43,571
- Chicago (ORD): 42,770
- Toronto (YYZ): 33,871
Meanwhile, from Oslo, the possibilities look as follows:
- New York (JFK): 107,428
- Los Angeles (LAX): 57,020
- Fort Lauderdale (FLL): 47,242
- Miami (MIA): 27,315
- Washington (IAD): 24,992
Note that these destinations also need to be studied in accordance with transit possibilities, including whether or not SkyTeam member airlines can offer substantial connecting opportunities. Of the destinations listed, JFK and LAX are Delta hubs. The American carrier already operates flights between JFK and ARN.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
This SAS expansion could be facilitated through the addition of new aircraft. On the long-haul front, ch-aviation data shows it has two A350-900s still on order. This could free up other aircraft, including the A321LRs which, according to the CEO, are to play a key role in long-haul expansion from Stockholm and Oslo. Currently, the A321LRs primarily operate on transatlantic flights from Copenhagen to destinations like New York and Toronto.
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Where do you think SAS should fly to in North America from Stockholm and Oslo? Let us know in the comments below.