© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) CEO Anko van der Werff poses for an interview in connection with the release of the company’s interim report, in Stockholm, Sweden, May 31 2022. TT News Agency / Fredrik Persson via REUTERS
The SAS chief executive told reporters negotiations between Scandinavian airline SAS and its pilots collapsed on Monday.
“This is very bad news,” SAS CEO Anko van der Werff told reporters.
Nearly 1,000 pilots in Denmark, Sweden and Norway will join the strike, according to the unions, which SAS says could leave around 30,000 passengers stranded each day.
“The strike resulted in flight schedule cancellations and thousands of travelers affected,” SAS said in a statement. “A strike at this time is devastating for SAS and puts the company’s future along with the jobs of thousands of colleagues at stake,” it said.
The strike comes at a difficult time for the loss-making SAS as it seeks to restructure its business by cutting major costs, raising new cash and converting debt into equity. owned as part of a plan to rescue the shipping line from collapse.
SAS said it estimated the strike would result in the cancellation of about 50% of all SAS scheduled flights and affect about 30,000 passengers a day. Earlier, unions estimated the number could be as high as 45,000.
Last month, the carrier averaged 58,000 passengers a day and served destinations in Europe, Asia and the United States.
