Scandinavian Airlines (SAS)’ first regular flights from Oslo to the US resumed this week, after Corona restrictions eased for those traveling in both directions. SAS’ Flight 907 non-stop to the New York area hasn’t run regularly since before the Corona crisis began.
On Wednesday, though, one of SAS’ brand-new Airbus 350s took off with 220 passengers on board. Until now it’s only carried diplomats, journalists and those with close family in the US, but now all fully vaccinated Norwegians are able to travel as long as they have valid documentation of that and negative results from a Corona test.
News bureau NTB reported that SAS has also reopened routes to other cities in the US from Stockholm and Copenhagen. From mid-November SAS will offer two departures a week from Oslo to New York (Newark) and one flight from Oslo to Miami.
SAS’ management has claimed it’s been fighting for survival as it tries to negotiate new and cheaper labour contracts with pilots and cabin crew. By Christmas, though, it aims to be running around 100 flights a week to the US. Kjetil Håbjørg, chief of SAS’ operations in Norway, told news service E24 that the airline doesn’t expect the market to return as it was, calling the next six months “decisive” for the years ahead.
newsinenglish.no staff
