Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) has announced it will cancel around 1,000 flights in April due to skyrocketing fuel prices linked to the Middle Eastern conflict. CEO Anko van der Werff warned that the airline may need to raise prices if the crisis persists.
Speaking to Swedish daily Dagens Industri, van der Werff said the airline is already cancelling a couple of hundred flights in March. 'After Easter we will see more cancelled flights, when there will always be a downturn. For April it is about at least a thousand departures,' he explained, noting that SAS operates 800 flights daily, so the cuts are not drastic.
The airline stated that an average SAS flight will cost 500 SEK (£40.30) more, while transatlantic flights will see an increase of approximately 2,700 SEK (£218). 'The price of jet fuel has doubled in ten days. Although we are trying to absorb cost increases as much as we can, this is a shock that hits the aviation industry directly,' van der Werff added.
Destinations with good same-day alternative connections will be cut first. SAS does not yet have a consolidated list of specific route cancellations. Spokesperson Alexandra Lindgren Kaoukji told The Independent that affected customers are being informed and offered rebooking to other departures. 'The sharp increase in fuel costs is affecting the entire European aviation system,' she said.
Van der Werff assured that passengers with existing bookings will not face retroactive price increases.
