SAS cancels 1,700 flights following pilot strike

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) has cancelled 1,700 flights scheduled in September and October following a 15-day pilot strike in July and delayed aircraft deliveries, the carrier said on Friday.

The Stockholm-based carrier grounded some 3,700 flights during last month’s strike action, which ended on 19 July after an agreement was reached with four unions representing pilots in a drawn-out pay dispute.

The carrier said affected travellers have been informed and re-booked to other flights, according to a Reuters report.

“It is the effects from the strike but also delayed deliveries of aircraft and some other factors,” a SAS spokesperson said.

SAS earlier this month secured US$700 million (€696 million) in bridge financing with Apollo Global Management after it filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US on 05 July, a day after the strike began.

The industrial action caused approximately 3,700 flight cancellations in July, with some 380,000 passengers affected.

The airline previously said the strike had “severely impacted” its liquidity and financial position, with the overall financial impact expected to exceed US$145 million.