Weak April traffic figures due to pilot strike

Over 2 800 flights were canceled and nearly 270 000 customers were affected during the first five days of the pilot strike, resulting in weak traffic figures in April.

Ahead of the pilot strike, traffic figures for April were showing good development compared to last year. 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. 

- I deeply apologize to our customers who were affected by the pilot strike and couldn’t travel as planned. Although a large number of colleagues at SAS have worked day and night to help those affected, I recognize that we have not been able to assist everyone in this difficult situation. Now that the strike is over, we will do our outmost to restore the trust of our customers. As we move towards the summer season, we look forward to welcoming travelers’ onboard our flights to existing and new destinations, says Rickard Gustafson, CEO of SAS.

For further information, please contact:

SAS press office, +46 8 797 2944

Michel Fischier, VP Investor Relations, +46 70 997 0673

SAS carries more than 30 million passengers annually and is Scandinavia’s leading airline with more than 800 daily flights on 272 routes to 125 destinations in Scandinavia, Europe, USA and Asia. SAS is a member of Star Alliance™ and can together with our partner airlines offer more than 18,800 daily flights to over 1,300 destinations in 193 countries. For more information, visit https://www.flysas.com 

This is information that SAS AB is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication by Michel Fischier at 11:00 CET on 8 May 2019.