Beleaguered carrier SAS has canceled another load of flights after axing up to 1,700 flights over September and October. The airline has already scrapped over 7,000 flights this summer as it battles staff shortages. We take a closer look below.
SAS axes more flights
SAS continues to cut its schedule after dropping another 1,700 flights at the tail-end of the summer season. Around 1,200 flights in September have been axed, followed by a further 500 in October.
Both domestic flights and international operations are to be affected by the cancelations, which the carrier blames on staffing problems and the fallout from a 15-day strike conducted by SAS pilots.
According to the airline, demand was not a factor in its decision, as it is in fact seeing a surge in demand for its service.
Alexandra Lindgren Kaoukji, the head of press for SAS in Denmark, told check-in.dk,
"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. But there are also delayed aircraft deliveries to SAS Link, which affects its capacity."
Kaoukji also noted that staff members taking late holidays has exacerbated the issue, leaving the carrier unable to fulfill its initial schedule.
Lingering effects of pilot strike
SAS suffered heavily in July after its pilots embarked on a 15-day strike, affecting around 380,000 passengers and 3,700 flights. Approximately 900 pilots took part in the industrial action, leading SAS to scrap up to 50% of its operations over that period.
While SAS and the pilot union reached an agreement on July 19th, SAS estimated it had cost the airline between $9 million and $12 million a day and warned of continued disruption to its schedule.
Discover more aviation news with Simple Flying.
9,000 flight cancelations this summer
SAS had initially planned to axe around 4,000 flights between May and August, representing around 5% of its schedule. However, the true figure ended up at over 7,000 flights following the pilot strike in July.
With its latest round of cancelations in September and October, the airline has now scrapped approximately 9,000 flights this summer and could yet scrap more flights if it doesn't sort its staffing problems out.
The Scandinavian airline, which is notably the flag carrier of three countries - Denmark, Norway and Sweden - has been through a lot this year after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US.
One piece of good news for the troubled carrier arrived last week after securing $700 million in debtor-in-possession financing, despite concerns that the pilot strike could impact SAS's future viability by putting off potential financiers.
Having reached a financing agreement with Apollo Global Management, the airline has predicted its bankruptcy proceedings will last between nine and 12 months as it strives to cut its annual expenditure by around $700 million.
Have your flights with SAS been affected by the latest cancelations? Do you see the airline emerging from bankruptcy protection in a strong position? Let us know in the comments.
Source: check-in.dk