Scandinavian Airlines to cancel 4,000 flights this summer

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) is set to cancel around 4,000 flights this summer, citing staff shortages and delayed deliveries of aircraft, Swedish financial daily Dagens Industri (DI) reported. This was reported by The Xinhua News Agency.

The staff shortages are a result of the COVID-19 pandemic since around 5,000 employees were laid off as demand for international and domestic flights plummeted, DI reported.

Karin Nyman from Scandinavian Airlines said that most canceled flights will be rescheduled for the same day, to avoid leaving passengers stranded.

Passengers check in at a counter of the Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) at Stockholm Arlanda Airport in Stockholm, Sweden. Photo by Xinhua/Wei Xuechao.

The news about this summer's cancellations came less than three months after the airline announced it was in financial trouble.

An interim financial report released in late February showed the company's earnings before tax stood at a negative 2.6 bln Swedish crowns (about $260 mln) for the period November 2021-January 2022. Compared with the same period in 2019 – before the pandemic struck – total revenues were down 42%.

SAS, therefore, announced it would "aggressively pursue reducing costs" by 7.5 bln Swedish crowns annually, by adjusting its fleet and product offerings, among other things. ($1 = 10.06 Swedish crowns)

A man walks into a COVID-19 vaccination center in Stockholm, capital of Sweden. Photo by Wei Xuechao/Xinhua.