SAS Reports 2% Increase in Passengers in April 2021

Almost 320,000 passengers flew with SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) in April 2021, an increase of about 2% when compared with March.

While traffic and demand remain far below normal levels, they improved substantially when compared with April 2020, when traffic was essentially at a standstill at the start of the ongoing COVID19 pandemic.

In April 2020, SAS’ scheduled capacity fell by nearly 95% compared April 2019. During April 2020, the airline only maintained a limited network in Norway and Sweden.

SAS’ figures for April 2019 do not reflect normal operating conditions either, as the airline cancelled over 2,800 flights because of a pilot strike. Ahead of the pilot strike, traffic figures for April 2019 were showing good development compared to 2018. However, the conflict resulted in a decrease in scheduled capacity and number of passengers of 14.9% and 14.5%, respectively. A higher load factor on the capacity unaffected by the conflict resulted in an increased unit revenue amounting to +8.6% currency adjusted.

“We have noted that willingness to book strongly correlates with vaccination levels and the relaxation of travel restrictions, and that customers are continuing to book at short notice,” said Karl Sandlund, Acting CEO of SAS. “There is undoubtedly a considerable pent-up need to travel, which we hope to meet as we are now approaching the important summer season. In the coming summer, SAS is flying to 100 destinations, which provides us with good preconditions to meet our customers’ travel needs.”

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