SAS Reaches Agreements to Amend the Terms of Existing Aircraft and Equipment Lease Agreements

The amended lease agreements have been entered into with 10 lessors – AerCap Holdings N.V., Aergo Capital Limited, Aircastle Limited, ALAFCO Aviation Lease and Finance Company, Avolon Aerospace Leasing Limited, CDB Aviation, Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE) Ltd., ICBC Aviation Leasing Co., Ltd., ORIX Aviation Systems Limited and SDH Wings International Leasing Limited – representing in aggregate 36 aircraft, including 3 wide bodies and 33 narrow bodies, as well as certain equipment related thereto.

 

Through the amended lease agreements, SAS is well on track in achieving the targeted annual cost savings of at least SEK 850 million to 1.0 billion in reduced aircraft lease and capital costs, which constitutes an important step in achieving the SEK 7.5 billion in annual cost savings by fiscal year 2026 under the SAS FORWARD plan. The Company intends to continue negotiations with certain other of its lessors to achieve further amendments in existing lease agreements.

 

Anko van der Werff, President and Chief Executive Officer of SAS, says:

 

“We continue to make progress in our chapter 11 process. The amended lease agreements allow us to reconfigure our fleet and improve our cost structure, which is a key element of our SAS FORWARD plan. We are grateful to our lessors for working constructively with us, as we continue taking necessary actions to become a more competitive airline and a stronger business partner to them. We are continuing to pursue additional lease amendments so we can achieve our targets.”