Topic summary
Scandinavian Airlines
- Star Alliance (1997–2024)
- SkyTeam (2024–present)
- Carsten Dilling (chairman)
- Anko van der Werff (CEO)
The Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS), commonly known as Scandinavian Airlines, is the joint flag carrier airline of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It is part of SAS Group and is headquartered in Solna, Sweden.
Operating a wide European and intercontinental network, the airline's principal hub is Copenhagen Airport, supported by two other major hubs at Stockholm Arlanda Airport and Oslo Airport. Including its subsidiaries SAS Link and SAS Connect, operates a fleet of over 130 aircraft to over 150 destinations. As of 2024, SAS serves approximately 25 million passengers annually, making it the largest airline in Denmark and Sweden and one of the largest in Europe.
The airline was founded in 1946 as a consortium to pool the transatlantic operations of the Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish national airlines, which were fully merged in 1951. Long considered an icon of Scandinavian cooperation, SAS was one of the five founding members of the Star Alliance in 1997.
In October 2023, as part of Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring, SAS Group underwent a major change in ownership. A consortium including Air France–KLM and the Government of Denmark acquired stakes in the airline. As a result of this transition, SAS departed Star Alliance and joined the SkyTeam alliance in September 2024. In July 2025, the Franco-Dutch airline group announced an agreement to increase its holding to 60.5%.