Scandinavian Airlines celebrated its 75th birthday over the weekend, with a series of low key social media posts.
SAS was founded on August 1, 1946, through a partnership between Denmark’s Det Danske Luftfartselskab, Norway’s Det Norske Luftfartselskap and Sweden’s Svensk Interkontinetal Lufttrafik.
The carrier was formed to handle intercontinental air traffic for the three countries, and the airline’s first transatlantic service between Stockholm and New York took off on September 17, 1946.
In a press release SAS said:
“Scandinavia would not be the same today without a strong Scandinavian airline, and we will naturally continue to play and integral role in Scandinavian infrastructure also in the future.
“Innovation has been a natural part of SAS in all these years. From the world’s first flight over the North Pole, thereby shortening flying time between continents, to the current and future drive toward sustainable aviation.”
Like most airlines worldwide the carrier has faced unprecedented challenges over the last 18 months as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Last summer the EU Commission approved €1 billion in state aid measures by Denmark and Sweden (Norway sold its remaining stake in SAS in 2018), as part of recapitalisation plans which the airline said were required to enable it “to continue its operations and its sustainability agenda”.
And last month the Commission approved a further €300 million in state funding to support the carrier.
SAS is set to roster its first A321LR between Copenhagen and Boston this September, having delayed the launch of the aircraft for a year due to Covid-19. The single-aisle aircraft is one of the first to feature the carrier’s new livery which was unveiled in 2019.
