SAS Group
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Company type | Aktiebolag |
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ISIN | SE0003366871 |
Industry | Aviation |
Founded | 1946ABA (1924), DDL (1918), and DNL (1927) | , merger of
Headquarters | SAS Frösundavik Office Building, Solna, Stockholm, Sweden |
Area served | Europe |
Key people | Carsten Dilling (Chairman) Anko van der Werff (CEO) |
Services | Airline services |
Revenue | ![]() |
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Total assets | ![]() |
Total equity | ![]() |
Owner |
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Number of employees | 7,532 (2021)[1] |
Subsidiaries | Scandinavian Airlines SAS Connect SAS Link SAS Cargo Group SAS Technical Services SAS Ground Handling |
Website | www |
SAS AB,[2] trading as SAS Group, is an airline holding company headquartered in Solna Municipality, Sweden. It is the owner of the airlines Scandinavian Airlines, SAS Link, and SAS Connect.
As of 2024, SAS Group is owned by a consortium of shareholders including the American investment fund Castlelake, L.P. with a 32% stake, the Government of Denmark with a 25.8% stake, Air France-KLM with a 19.9% stake and the Danish family office Lind Invest with a 8.6% stake. This ownership structure emerged after the company exited U.S. Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August 2024, a process initiated in July 2022 due to the group's financial difficulties.[3]
The consortium[4] was founded in 1951 as a merger between the three Scandinavian flag carriers Aerotransport (ABA - Sweden), Det Danske Luftfartselskab (DDL - Denmark), and Det Norske Luftfartselskap (DNL - Norway), after the three had been cooperating on international routes since 1946.
Until 2001, the three national companies owned a fixed share of the SAS Group, after which the shares of the three companies were merged. Norway sold its final 9.88% stake in June 2018, marking the end of its involvement in SAS after being a part-owner since 1946. The Swedish government maintained a 21.8% stake until the 2024 restructuring.[5]
SAS Group previously owned various entities, including Rezidor Hotel Group (owner of the Radisson SAS brand) and Braathens. It also had a minority interest in bmi, airBaltic, Texas Air, Thai Airways International, and LAN Airlines. SAS also once owned 19.9% of the now defunct Spanish airline Spanair as well as shares in Estonian Air and Skyways Express.
SAS was a founder of the Amadeus Computerised Reservation System and the Star Alliance, which it is announced it would leave in 2024.[6] SAS runs the frequent flyer program EuroBonus.
History
[edit]The airline was founded on 1 August 1946 when Det Danske Luftfartselskab A/S, AB Aerotransport, and Det Norske Luftfartselskap AS (the flag carriers of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway) formed a partnership to handle intercontinental traffic to Scandinavia. Operations started on 17 September 1946. The companies then started coordination of European operations in 1948 and finally merged to form the current SAS Consortium in 1951. When established the airline was divided between SAS Danmark (28.6%), SAS Norge (28.6%), and SAS Sweden (42.8%), all owned 50% by private investors and 50% by their respective governments. SAS gradually acquired control of the domestic markets in all three countries by acquiring full or partial control of several local airlines. In May 1997 SAS formed the global Star Alliance network with Air Canada, Lufthansa, Thai Airways International, and United Airlines.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e1/Sashoteloslo_quevaal.jpg/220px-Sashoteloslo_quevaal.jpg)
- SAS Group Milestones
- 1918 AB Aerotransport (ABA), SAS' Swedish parent company, is founded.
- 1920 Det Danske Luftfartselskab A/S (DDL), SAS' Danish parent company, is founded.
- 1924 DDL is listed on the Copenhagen Stock Exchange
- 1927 Det Norske Luftfartselskap A/S (DNL), SAS' Norwegian parent company, is founded
- 1946 SAS is formed from Det Danske Luftfartselskab A/S (DDL), Det Norske Luftfartselskap A/S (DNL), and Svensk Interkontinental Lufttrafik AB (SILA). The first intercontinental flight is from Stockholm to New York.
- 1951 DDL, DNL, and ABA form the present SAS Consortium.
- 1954 SAS is the world's first airline to fly the Copenhagen - Los Angeles polar route in regular scheduled service.
- 1955 SILA (which owns 50% of ABA) is quoted on the "Stockbrokers' List" in Sweden.
- 1957 SAS is the first airline to offer "round the world service over the North Pole" from Copenhagen to Tokyo via Anchorage.
- 1959 SAS enters the jet age. The first jet aircraft, the Caravelle, is introduced in service.
- 1960 SAS opens its first hotel, the SAS Royal Hotel Copenhagen. SAS helps set up Thai Airways International, taking a 30% share in the joint venture.
- 1965 SAS is the first airline to introduce an electronic reservation system.
- 1967 DNL is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange.
- 1971 SAS puts its first Boeing 747 jumbo jet into service.
- 1977 SAS sells its remaining stakes in Thai Airways.
- 1980 SAS opens its first hotel outside of Scandinavia, the SAS Kuwait Hotel. SILA is listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange.
- 1981 SAS EuroClass is introduced on all European routes.
- 1982 SAS is named the most punctual airline in Europe for the first time.
- 1984 SAS receives the Air Transport World's distinction "Airline of the Year" for 1983.
- 1986 Spanair is founded.
- 1987 SAS cofounds the Amadeus Computerised Reservation System (also known as GDS).
- 1989 SAS International Hotels owns 40% of Intercontinental Hotels Group. This stake is sold in 1992.
- 1994 SAS begins to refocus on airline operations in the SAS Group - selling a number of subsidiaries, along with the franchise of Diners Club Nordic.
- 1996 SAS celebrates its 50th anniversary on August 1. SAS parent company changes its name to SAS Danmark A/S, SAS Norge ASA, and SAS Sverige AB.
- 1997 SAS is one of the founding members of Star Alliance.
- 1998 Air Botnia (Blue1) becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of the SAS Group.
- 1999 The SAS Group becomes a majority owner of Widerøe.
- 2001 A single SAS share is established. On July 6, SAS is listed on the stock exchanges in Stockholm, Copenhagen, and Oslo. Braathens is acquired by the SAS Group in December.
- 2002 Rezidor SAS Hospitality signs a master franchise agreement with Carlson Hotels Worldwide; the agreement comes to an end in 2009.
- 2003 SAS acquires 49% of the shares in Estonian Air.
- 2004 Scandinavian Airlines Sverige, SAS Braathens, and Scandinavian Airlines Danmark are incorporated.
- 2006 SAS sells its remaining shares in the Rezidor Hotel Group chain.
- 2007 CEO and President Mats Jansson is inaugurated; SAS sells the SAS Flight Academy.
- 2010 CEO Jansson departs his position and is replaced by John S. Dueholm on an interim basis.
- 2011 Rickard Gustafson becomes the new permanent CEO.
- 2012 In January Spanair collapses and lead to write-downs of 1.7bn kronor by SAS.
- 2013 SAS sells 80% of the shares in Widerøe.
- 2014 SAS sells the cleaning part of SAS Ground Handling to Sodexo.
- 2015 SAS sells SAS Ground Handling in 14 Airports in Norway to Widerøe Ground Handling. SAS sells Blue1 to CityJet. In November Estonian Air collapses and SAS loses 2.5% of the shares.
- 2016 SAS sells its remaining 20% stake in Widerøe.
- 2020 SAS halts most of its traffic from 16 March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7]
Operations
[edit]SAS Group is the main operational company in the SAS consortium. The SAS Group company structure looks as follows:
- Core SAS Holdings
- Scandinavian Airlines (100%)
- SAS Connect (100%)
- SAS Link (100%)
- SAS Cargo Group (100%)
- SAS Ground Handling (100%)
- SAS Technical Services (100%)
Head office
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5e/SAS_koncernbyggnad_2007.jpg/220px-SAS_koncernbyggnad_2007.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7e/Arlanda-SAS_office_02.jpg/220px-Arlanda-SAS_office_02.jpg)
The SAS Group head office is currently in the SAS Frösundavik Office Building in Frösundavik , Solna Municipality, Sweden, in the Stockholm area.[8][9]
The SAS Group head office was previously located on the grounds of the Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN) in Sigtuna Municipality, Sweden.[10]
Before spring 2011,[citation needed] it was located in the SAS Frösundavik Office Building.[11][12]
Partners and alliances
[edit]- Air Greenland has an interline agreement with SAS.
- Scandinavian Airlines is a member of the Star Alliance.
- SAS Cargo Group is a member of the WOW Alliance.
List of shareholders
[edit]Shareholder | Type of shareholder | Nationality | Ownership |
---|---|---|---|
Castlelake | Investment fund | ![]() |
32% |
Ministry of Finance (Denmark)[13] | Government | ![]() |
25.8% |
Air France–KLM | Airline Group | ![]() ![]() |
19.9% |
Lind Invest | Family office | ![]() |
8.6% |
Others (to be distributed) | |||
Source: | [14] |
Presidents
[edit]- 1946–1948: Per Norlin
- 1949–1951: Per Møystad Backe
- 1951–1954: Per Norlin
- 1955–1957: Henning Throne-Holst
- 1958–1961: Åke Rusck
- 1961–1962: Curt Nicolin
- 1962–1969: Karl Nilsson
- 1969–1978: Knut Hagrup
- 1978–1981: Carl-Olov Munkberg
- 1981–1993: Jan Carlzon
- 1993–1994: Jan Reinås
- 1994–2001: Jan Stenberg
- 2001–2006: Jørgen Lindegaard
- 2007–2010: Mats Jansson
- 2010–2011: John S Dueholm
- 2011–2021: Rickard Gustafson
- 2021: Anko van der Werff
Financial performance
[edit]Year ended | Passengers flown[15] | Employees (Average/Year) | Net profit/loss (SEK) | Basic eps (SEK) |
---|---|---|---|---|
2010[16] | ![]() |
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2009[17] | ![]() |
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2008[18] | 29,000,000 | 24,635 | -6,360,000,000 | -6.29 |
2007[18] | 29,200,000 | 26,538 | 1,234,000,000 | 3.87 |
2006 | 38,609,000 | 26,554 | 4,936,000,000 | 28.10 |
2005 | 36,312,000 | 32,363 | 418,000,000 | 1.06 |
2004 | 32,400,000 | 32,481 | -1,813,000,000 | -11.38 |
2003 | 31,004,000 | 34,544 | -2,221,000,000 | -8.60 |
2002 | 33,254,000 | 35,506 | -736,000,000 | -0.81 |
2001 | 35,640,000 | 31,035 | -1,140,000,000 | -6.58 |
2000* | 23,240,000 | 30,939 | 2,273,000,000 | 11.79 |
1999* | 21,991,000 | 30,310 | 1,846,000,000 | 8.41 |
- Prior to 2001, the SAS Group traffic figures did not include airBaltic, Blue1, and Spanair.
Fleet
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/44/SAS_A340_at_SFO.jpg/220px-SAS_A340_at_SFO.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/LN-RGO_A320neo_%2831659446490%29.jpg/220px-LN-RGO_A320neo_%2831659446490%29.jpg)
The SAS Group fleet consists of the following aircraft as of November, 2023:[19]
Type | SAS | On order | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Airbus A319-100 | 4 | OY-KBO in retro livery | |
Airbus A320-200 | 11 | ||
Airbus A320neo | 61 | 19 | 25 wet leased to SAS Connect |
Airbus A321LR | 3 | ||
ATR 72-600 | 7 | Operated by Nordica | |
Airbus A330-300 | 8 | ||
Airbus A350-900 XWB | 4 | 2 | |
Bombardier CRJ900 | 11 | Operated by CityJet | |
6 | Operated by Nordica | ||
Embraer 195 | 10 | Operated by SAS Link | |
Total | 124 | 21 |
On January 4, 2010, the SAS Group announced the sales of 18 surplus MD-80 series aircraft to Allegiant Travel Company. The aircraft, built from 1985 to 1991, were delivered during the first half of 2010.[20]
On August 26, 2010, the SAS Group announced a 5-year lease agreement of 8 MD-90 series aircraft to an undisclosed US airline. The aircraft will be delivered between Q3-2010 and Q2-2011.
On April 10, 2018, the SAS Group announced a deal with Airbus for 35 new Airbus A320neos with another 15 being leased. These aircraft are meant to replace some of SAS's current A320s, as well as their Bombardier CRJ900's.[21] Bringing the total of the type to 80 aircraft.
SAS Museum
[edit]The exhibits at the SAS Museum at Oslo Airport, Gardermoen, in Norway, represent an important part of Scandinavian civil aviation history. The museum collections cover Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) as well as its parent companies: AB Aerotransport (ABA), Det Danske Luftfartselskab (DDL), and Det Norske Luftfartselskap (DNL). A museum was originally established in 1989 in the hangar area at Oslo Airport, Fornebu at the same time as the formation of the DNL/SAS Historic Society. It was built up through the efforts of a group of enthusiasts among retired and active SAS employees. The establishment of the new museum in 2003-2004 is a result of SAS feeling a responsibility to document the history of Scandinavian civil aviation. For this purpose, the airline has entered a partnership with its three national historic societies and the latter undertake the day-to-day work on a volunteer basis. SAS absorbs the rental cost of the museum building and has also provided depots for museum exhibits in Denmark and Sweden. The museum at Oslo's Gardermoen is therefore more than just a continuation of the facility at Fornebu – it is a completely new and considerably expanded Scandinavian museum. It is run by a board that includes representatives of the SAS consortium and the Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian historic societies.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f "SAS Group 2021 Annual Report" (PDF). SAS Group. Retrieved 2022-06-02.
- ^ "SAS AB Company Profile | Solna, Stockholm, Sweden | Competitors, Financials & Contacts - Dun & Bradstreet". Retrieved 2024-08-14.
- ^ Terje Solsvik and Marie Mannes (August 28, 2024). "Scandinavian airline SAS hails 'new era' as it exits US bankruptcy process".
- ^ "History milestones - SAS". www.sasgroup.net. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
- ^ Vanja Popovic (03 Jul 2024). "SAS restructuring plan gets EU green light".
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help) - ^ Smith, Gordon (2024-04-09). "SAS Scandinavian Airlines Quits Star Alliance: 6 Key Questions Answered". Skift. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
- ^ Ahlander, Stine Jacobsen (15 March 2020). "SAS to halt most flights, temporarily lay off 90% of staff". Reuters.
- ^ "SAS AB Org.nr. 556606-8499." Svenska Dagbladet. Retrieved on October 26, 2016. "Besöksadress Frösundaviks Allé 1,"
- ^ "SAS AB (publ) announces notice to the Annual General Meeting on 8 March 2016." SAS AB. Retrieved on October 26, 2016. "The Annual General Meeting will be held at 3 p.m. at SAS head office, Frösundaviks allé 1, Solna."
- ^ "Media Contact SAS Group. Retrieved on 27 January 2012. "Visiting address: Kabinvägen 5, Stockholm-Arlanda, Sweden"
- ^ "SAS head office in Sweden." Scandinavian Airlines. Retrieved on 8 June 2009.
- ^ "Cykelkarta 2007 Archived 2014-08-08 at the Wayback Machine." Solna Municipality. Retrieved on 12 February 2010.
- ^ "Er staten en aktiv ejer af delejede selskaber?". Folketinget. 2018-05-23. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "SAS reaches major milestone in SAS FORWARD – announces the winning consortium, including details of the transaction structure". 2023-10-03. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
- ^ "SAS". SAS. Archived from the original on 2019-10-12. Retrieved 2019-07-16.
- ^ SAS Group (2010). "SAS Annual Report 2010" (PDF). SAS Group. Retrieved 2011-06-23.
- ^ SAS Group (2010). "SAS Annual Report 2009" (PDF). SAS Group. Retrieved 2011-06-23.
- ^ a b SAS Group (2009). "SAS Annual Report 2008" (PDF). SAS Group. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-08. Retrieved 2010-06-23.
- ^ "Fleet". Retrieved 27 August 2019.
- ^ "SAS sells 18 MD-80 surplus aircraft to Allegiant Travel Company".
- ^ "SAS signs firm order for 35 Airbus A320neo Family aircraft". Airbus. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
External links
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- SAS Group
- Holding companies of Sweden
- Airline holding companies
- Airlines of Sweden
- Companies based in Solna Municipality
- Holding companies established in 1951
- Companies related to the Wallenberg family
- Sigtuna Municipality
- Holding companies of Denmark
- Holding companies of Norway
- Companies listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange
- Companies listed on Nasdaq Stockholm
- Swedish companies established in 1951
- Airlines established in 1951