SAS has bid farewell to its last Boeing 737-600. The airline held a special farewell flight for the aircraft at the weekend where it visited each country for which SAS is a flag carrier.

SAS is in the midst of a fleet transformation as it looks to usher in a new generation of cleaner, more fuel-efficient aircraft. In fact, the airline took delivery of its first Airbus A350 this weekend for that very reason. The Boeing 737-600’s retirement flight saw the aircraft visit each of SAS’s main hubs, before drawing a huge 600 in the sky.

Goodbye Boeing 737

SAS has marked the end of an era, bidding farewell to the Boeing 737-600. However, rather than quietly removing the aircraft type, SAS has pulled out all of the stops. The airline operated the special flight to mark 21 years of service of the 737-600.

SAS’s special retirement flight saw the Boeing 737-600 perform a special flight from Stockholm Oslo. However, the aircraft flew via Copenhagen. After passing Copenhagen, the aircraft drew a 600 in the sky before continuing on to Oslo. To top off the festivities, the flight operated under the flight number SK600.

The aircraft took off at 13:49 local time from Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport (ARN). Following its departure from Stockholm, the aircraft climbed to 32,000 feet and flew towards Copenhagen. The aircraft then started its descent, making a low pass directly overhead Copenhagen at around 14:40, 50 minutes after departing from Stockholm.

Following its low pass at Copenhagen Airport, the aircraft began to climb again until it reached the slightly lower cruise height of 29,000 feet. At around 15:04, the aircraft began to draw a 600 in the sky taking around 23 minutes to complete the pattern. Once the aircraft completed the pattern, it continued on to its destination, Oslo (OSL). The aircraft landed at 15:57, giving a total flight time of just over two hours.

Other recent retirement flights

SAS has joined El Al in marking an aircraft’s retirement. When El Al recently retired it’s final Boeing 747, the occasion was marked with a special sky drawing. However, instead of flying in the shape of a 600, El Al went one step further. The Israeli airline flew its Boeing 747 in the shape of a Boeing 747. Following the retirement of a last Boeing 747, the airline is now introducing its first Boeing 787-8 aircraft. Additionally, it plans to trial flying non-stop from Tel Aviv to Australia.

Have you flown on a SAS Boeing 737-600? What was your memory of the flight? Let us know in the comments!