SAS has announced the largest investment in the company’s history, ordering up to 40 Airbus widebody aircraft to strengthen long-haul connectivity between Scandinavia and the rest of the world. The deal, combining new Airbus A330-900neo aircraft with additional A330-300s to support near-term growth, carries a total list price exceeding USD 10 billion, making it the highest-value aircraft order SAS has ever placed.
“This is the largest investment in our company’s history and a clear signal of our confidence in the future,” said Anko van der Werff, President and CEO of SAS. “For 80 years, SAS has connected Scandinavia with the world and the world with Scandinavia. Today, we are investing in the next chapter of our story.”
The announcement follows last year’s record order for 55 Embraer E195-E2 regional aircraft and ongoing renewal of the Airbus A320neo fleet, together representing the most significant modernization of the SAS fleet in decades.
Alongside the fleet news, SAS presented a new socio-economic analysis examining the impact of planned expansion at Copenhagen Airport through 2030. The report estimates that the planned growth could support an additional 25,000 jobs and contribute DKK 25 billion to GDP in Denmark, bringing SAS’s total economic contribution to 64,000 jobs and DKK 66 billion in GDP. The analysis also projects around 4,000 new jobs in Southern Sweden.
SAS also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with SkyKraft to explore the development of e-SAF as part of its long-term sustainability strategy. The new A330-900neo aircraft offer 25% lower fuel burn per seat than previous-generation competitors and share 95% of airframe parts with SAS’s existing A330-300 fleet.
The announcement coincides with SAS marking its 80th anniversary as Scandinavia’s flag carrier.
