SAS first in Europe to fly the new Airbus A330-300 Enhanced

SAS is the first European airline to fly the new long-haul Airbus A330-300 Enhanced. The first commercial flight leaves today from Copenhagen to Chicago. SAS continues to strengthen its intercontinental offering with new aircraft and the launch of new routes to destinations with high demand.

SAS’s thirteenth and newest long-haul aircraft, Tore Viking, is flying from Copenhagen to Chicago on Monday, September 21, with a departure time of 3.40pm. This is the first of four new A330-300 Enhanced that will be added to the SAS fleet over the next six months. Another aircraft will be delivered in September and the remaining two in 2016. From 2018, deliveries will also commence of SAS’s new Airbus A350-900. The new aircraft enable SAS to improve its offering to customers and to fly longer distances with lower fuel consumption.

“We are pleased to welcome our passengers on board our new A330-300 Enhanced. We are making significant investments in our fleet and at the same time launching new routes, giving us the strongest range of services to United States and Asia from Scandinavia. We are also lowering our fuel consumption as the new aircraft are delivered, which will help to reduce our fuel emissions,” says Rickard Gustafson, President and CEO of SAS.

The materials and color scheme in the cabin of the new aircraft have been carefully chosen to create a calm and welcoming atmosphere. All through the cabin, mood lighting provides a pleasant environment throughout the journey. The seats in SAS Go and SAS Plus are designed to provide good storage and create extra space. SAS Business has direct access to the aisle and seats that can be fully reclined into a bed position. The beds feature linen from Hästens, ensuring passengers sleep well. There is also a new in-flight entertainment system throughout the cabin, offering HD screens and wireless Internet access. SAS is also updating its existing long-haul aircraft with the same new cabin interior in 2015 and 2016.

“We have received very good feedback on the new cabin from our passengers, who have praised the new seats and in-flight entertainment system. Frequent travelers in Scandinavia have high expectations when they travel, which is why we are constantly developing our offering to best meet their needs,” says Rickard Gustafson.

The first new A330-300 Enhanced will the first month operate the route between Copenhagen and Chicago and will then fly from Stockholm to Hong Kong and Chicago.

On September 10, SAS launched a new route between Stockholm and Hong Kong, and in March 2016 SAS will be launching a new route between Stockholm and Los Angeles. In the fall of 2016, the new route to Miami from Oslo and Copenhagen will begin operating.

Facts about the Airbus A330-300 Enhanced

• Delivery of four A330-300 Enhanced in 2015/2016; two aircraft in September 2015, one in February 2016, and one in May 2016
• Significantly improved range compared with the A330 (10,400 km compared with 9,600 km)
• Maximum weight 242 tonnes
• 262 seats: 32 SAS Business, 56 SAS Plus and 174 SAS Go
• 2% lower fuel consumption than the A330

For further information, please contact:
SAS press duty telephone +46 8 797 29 44

SAS is Scandinavia’s leading airline with daily flights to destinations in Europe, USA and Asia. SAS is a member of Star Alliance™ and, together with 26 partners, we offer more than 1300 destinations worldwide in 193 countries. For more information, visit www.flysas.com