SAS Scandinavian Airlines System : SK : SAS :

SAS Group airlines flew 2.38 billion RPKs in May, up 4% year-over-year, while capacity fell 1.6% to 3.15 billion ASKs.

Load factor was up 4.1 points to 75.6%.

SAS Scandinavian Airlines flew 2.17 billion RPKs, up 3%, against a 3.1% cut in capacity to 2.84 billion ASKs. Load factor rose 4.5 points to 76.5%.

SAS Group to remove MD-90s through lease to US carrier

SAS Group is to withdraw its Boeing MD-90 aircraft from its fleet after reaching a lease agreement with a US carrier for the eight aircraft.
The identity of the US operator has not been disclosed. Delta Air Lines is the only carrier currently using the type in the USA, with a fleet of around 20.
SAS Group's Finnish division Blue1 has five of the SAS MD-90s. Swiss carrier Hello operates three other MD-90s formerly in the SAS Group fleet.
Phase-out of the MD-90s is set to start in the third quarter of this year. SAS Group says the twin-engined type is a "niche" aircraft and that the company wants to simplify its fleet.
All of the jets will have been delivered to their new operator by the end of the second quarter of next year. The aircraft will be leased for five years.
SAS has already been removing a large number of Boeing MD-80s from its fleet, with several being transferred to the parent of US-based Allegiant Air

6 September 2010 - Scandinavian air travel group SAS AB (STO: SAS) said today it has agreed to sell its 19.9% stake in Swedish regional airline Skyways Holding AB and will book a capital loss of some SEK40m.

The buyer is Skyways' majority shareholder
, Swedish privately-held company Largus Holding AB.

The divestment is in line with the Core SAS strategy that includes focus on business travellers and simplified corporate structure.

SAS will continue its close commercial cooperation with Skyways, the group said.

(EUR1 = SEK9.3)

SAS Names New CEO At Critical Juncture

SAS Group on Sept. 16 named Rickard Gustafson as its new chief executive officer. Gustafson will succeed Mats Jansson in March 2011 at the top of the financially struggling carrier. Because Jansson is leaving the company by the end of September, Deputy CEO John Dueholm will be interim president and CEO
Gustafson joins SAS from insurance company Codan/Trygg-Hansa. “Rickard Gustafson is an experienced leader, with extensive international experience, who has demonstrated that he can generate good results,“ Fritz Schur, chairman of the SAS Board, said. “As the current CEO of Codan/Trygg-Hansa, he has Nordic responsibility, and also has broad experience of strategy development, marketing and process optimization from both Codan/Trygg-Hansa and GE Capital. The entire Board agrees that Rickard Gustafson is the right person to take on the challenges in SAS, and to continue the implementation of the Core SAS strategy and ensure profitable growth.”
“SAS is a special and unique Scandinavian company. A great deal has been accomplished in recent years to create a platform for the future,” says Rickard Gustafson.
The 46-year-old executive is taking over SAS at a crucial moment. His predecessor Mats Jansson has been preparing the airline for an eventual sale to a strategic investor. He not only continued the cost cutting initiatives launched by former CEO Joergen Lindegaard, but he also implemented the Core SAS strategy, selling unprofitable units such as Spanair and BMI while focusing on the Scandinavian home market. The then-unknown risks at Spanair are believed to have been a major reason for Lufthansa not to go ahead with a takeover attempt of its alliance partner earlier, while the unclear political support was another factor.
But Gustafson can by no means be sure that he will succeed in selling the airline to its partner. Lufthansa still is busy integrating recent acquisitions such as Austrian, BMI and Brussels Airlines. Also, the major European airlines are beginning to shift their attention to possible transcontinental mergers, as has been highlighted in recent comments by British Airways CEO Willie Walsh. Stefan Lauer, Executive Board member at Lufthansa, recently made clear that the airline also sees these initiatives as an attractive proposition. Taking over SAS may bind too much capital and management attention in such a scenario.
While no details have emerged publicly, the fact that Jansson is leaving in the next few days and Gustafson will only join next spring indicates that the leadership change may not have been entirely voluntary. Gustafson is therefore facing a difficult legacy and could well be forced to run the airline as an independent entity for a significant time.

Bombardier's C-Series Is Contender for 55-Plane SAS Order, Airline Says

Bombardier's CSeries jetliner, which has won orders from only three customers, is a leading contender for a contract from [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] as the biggest Nordic airline prepares to add as many as 55 planes over six years.
SAS, already one of Bombardier’s biggest European clients, is evaluating the CS300 variant of the CSeries, seating 120 to 145 people, Niklas Hardange, the carrier’s fleet-planning chief, said in an interview at its headquarters in Stockholm.
“Bombardier is the one offering the newest technique, and has a plane that’s a lot more fuel efficient than Airbus and Boeing have today,” Hardange said yesterday. “If the CSeries keeps its promises it’ll be a very successful product.”
SAS is weighing the single-aisle CSeries against the competing 737 from [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and Airbus SAS A320 family. The airline plans to phase out 37 older 737s and Boeing MD-80s over the next few years while adding capacity to meet anticipated annual passenger growth of 4 to 6 percent through 2016.
Montreal-based Bombardier has so far secured 90 orders for the CSeries; 30 from Germany’s Deutsche Lufthansa AG, which is buying the planes for its Swiss unit, 40 from Indianapolis-based Republic Airways Holdings Inc. and 20 from Lease Corp. International Aviation.
CRJs, Q-Series
SAS and its units own 12 Bombardier CRJ900 regional jets and 28 Q-series turboprops, including seven Q400s. The carrier got more than 1 billion kronor ($143 million) in compensation from the Canadian company and Goodrich Corp. in 2008 after Q400 landing-gear problems caused three crash-landings in six weeks.
The CSeries model is attractive because of its lighter composite-based construction and more fuel-efficient engines from [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]’s Pratt & Whitney unit, Hardange said. Still, the technology is untested and the CS300 probably won’t be available to SAS until 2014, he said.
Bombardier spokesman [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] said the company doesn’t comment on potential customers, while adding that it is “involved in discussions with many airlines and operators regarding the CSeries aircraft.”
Buying Boeing 737s would “simplify” the SAS fleet as there are 83 planes from the Chicago-based manufacturer among the 193 that the airline currently operates, Hardange said. SAS is also interested in Airbus’s A320 and A319 variants, he said, and is looking at the European company’s planned “Neo” upgrade, which would feature a new, more efficient engine.
Leasing Option
The Scandinavian airline, half-owned by the governments of Sweden, Norway and Denmark, has yet to decide to what extent it will buy or rent planes, and is also talking with lessors.
“Historically it’s been better for us to own than to lease,” Hardange said. “Today we’re not so sure. We’re flexible and want to grab the best opportunities we can. We’ll do it gradually and don’t see a big bang ahead of us.”
The fleet-renewal plan comes as SAS is deep into a 7.8 billion-kronor cost-cutting program, and the carrier wants to improve cash flow and boost credit ratings before committing to a purchase, which “is not coming tomorrow,” said [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], its head of investor relations. Selling more shares to help fund new planes is not an option, he added.
SAS has been [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] in all but one of the past 12 quarters after struggling with declining traffic, strikes and airspace closures following a volcanic eruption in Iceland.
Qatar Airways Ltd. Chief Executive Officer [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] said yesterday that Bombardier needs to resolve “commercially sensitive issues” regarding the CSeries or risk seeing it eclipsed by Airbus’s re-engined Neo. Pratt & Whitney said Sept. 17 it aimed to iron out a “misunderstanding” that prompted the Gulf carrier to delay an order for as many as 30 planes.
Bombardier was trading down 0.4 percent at C$4.82 as of 11:24 a.m. in Toronto. The stock is up 0.5 percent this year.
SAS closed 3 percent lower at 22.80 kronor and has declined 55 percent this year for a value of 7.50 billion kronor.

[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] is to lease up to 17 [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]-700/800 aircraft, and take additional [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] A320s, as part of its effort to bring greater type uniformity to its fleet.

The carrier is phasing out its [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] MD-80 and older-variant 737s - a total of 20 aircraft - at its Stockholm and Oslo hubs.

SAS Group says it has agreed to lease five 737-800s from US lessor
GECAS. It has also signed a memorandum of understanding with GECAS
covering the lease of 12 737-700s.

The company operates another 17 MD-80s at its Copenhagen hub, but
says that these will similarly be withdrawn and replaced with A320s.

It says the replacement will start in 2012 and be completed by 2016.

SAS Group adds that the agreements mean there will be "limited aircraft investments" in terms of capital expenditure this year.

Chief executive Rickard Gustafson says that the decision will "reduce complexity".
SAS Group has long intended to replace the MD-80s but had been looking at the potential of the re-engined [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] as well as a possible re-engined 737, with a view to making a switch around 2015.

The company has also previously considered the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] CSeries as an option for MD-80 replacement.

It already operates 67 newer-variant 737s and 12 A320s across its three capital bases.

SAS Group said Monday it will lease five new 737-800NGs from GECAS and signed an MOU to lease a further 12 737-700s from the same company as it phases out its remaining nine MD-80s and 11 737 Classics at its Stockholm and Oslo hubs, where it also operates 67 737NGs.
SAS additionally said it will retire its 17 MD-80s at Copenhagen, replacing them with Airbus A320s. SAS already bases 12 A320s at COP. The replacement will begin in 2012 and is expected to be completed by 2016, it noted.
According to SAS, the lease arrangements mean that “there will be limited aircraft investments” this year. President and CEO Rickard Gustafson said the fleet renewal “will reduce complexity and improve out environmental performance.”

Ceci est unpeu le reflet de SAS ! Petite compagnie, .... gros désordre, ..... en cours de rationalisation, ...... le tout raconté par un journaliste !

Epsilon a écrit:La seule chose certaine pour le moment :

Gecas a signé SAS pour 5 Boeing 737-800 et 12 B 737-700; appareils neufs.

SAS Said to Plan Order for 30 Airbus A320neos to Refresh Fleet

SAS Group, the Scandinavian carrier, is set to order about 30 Airbus SAS A320neo aircraft at the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] as it upgrades its fleet, two people familiar with the planned announcement said.
The order may come as soon as tomorrow, said the people, who asked not to be identified because details are still being finalized. Sture Stoelen, a spokesman for Stockholm-based SAS, declined to comment on specific orders.
The Scandinavian airline, half-owned by the governments of Sweden, Norway and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], said in November that it was looking to add about 55 aircraft to help replace older 737s and MD-80s in coming years.
The new aircraft would help expand capacity to meet anticipated annual passenger growth of as much as six percent through 2016. About 2.6 million passengers flew on SAS in May, a 7 percent traffic increase, SAS said June 9.
The A320neo comes with a choice of engines between the Leap-X made by [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], the joint venture of [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] of [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], and the geared turbofan from [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]. Both engines promise about a 15 percent in fuel improvement.
Airbus expects to have more than 500 320neo orders by the end of the Paris Air Show, which starts June 20, reaching the milestone about seven months after deciding to upgrade its jet. Boeing, based in [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], is still mulling whether to upgrade the 737, the most widely flow plane, or offer a new single-aisle model for the largest slice of the commercial-aircraft industry.
SAS in November said it was also weighing [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]’s brand-new CSeries model along with 737 from Boeing and the Airbus aircraft. Bombardier’s CSeries uses a version of the geared turbofan exclusively.

The SAS Group has today placed an order for 30 Airbus A320neo with an option of an additional 11 Airbus A320neo...

Jeannot a écrit:Voici le communiqué de SAS confirmant la commande

The SAS Group has today placed an order for 30 Airbus A320neo with an option of an additional 11 Airbus A320neo...

[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]

Qu'est-ce que c'est que ce bazar ? !

La compagnie aérienne espagnole Spanair a convoqué vendredi un conseil d'administration qui pourrait décider de la cessation de l'activité de la compagnie et la suspension des vols, a-t-on appris de source aéroportuaire.

2012 AFP

Akbar Al BAKER ferait mieux d'orienter les sous de Qatar Airways vers les grandes équipes de 'foot' espagnoles : Real MADRID, Barcelone ... !

Qatar Airways has reportedly pulled out of talks to buy a stake in Spanair.

The Gulf carrier confirmed last week that it was examining a potential acquisition in Europe, where it last year purchased a stake in freight operator Cargolux.

However, a spokeswoman from the Catalan regional government revealed this week that Qatar Airways had "left the negotiations" to acquire a stake in Spanair, according to local reports.

It follows Etihad's decision at the end of 2011 to buy a stake in Air Berlin, the first time a major Gulf carrier has made a major investment in a European passenger airline.

Speaking to Flightglobal the day before the Spanair reports surfaced, Qatar's CEO Akbar Al Baker said: "We are not in a hurry to take on any sick carrier in Europe.

"We want to pick and choose something that will make both airlines stronger."

Puis, on n'appelle pas Akbar Al BAKER "U-urn Ali" pour rien !

Star Alliance airline Spanair has announced that it is halting all operations today, with the last flight expected to arrive at its base at 22:00 after talks with Qatar Airways over a stakeholding and capital injections collapsed.

Shortly after the regional government made clear that the airline could expect no further government-backed loans, the Barcelona-based Spanair started to cancel flights during this afternoon. Only flights returning from remote destinations to its Barcelona and Madrid bases still took off.

Spain's public airport operator AENA has prepared special areas at Madrid's Terminal 2 and Barcelona's Terminal 1 to attend stranded passengers, which according to an Aena source may mount to "several thousands" only at these two airports. AENA is asking passengers with Spanair tickets not to go to the airport until they have a confirmed seat on another airline.

Spanair's local competitors Iberia, Vueling and Air Europa have announced contingency plans to accommodate Spanair passengers.

Iberia has announced a flat fare of $79.15 (€60) for Spanair ticket holders on Spanish mainland and Balearic routes, $118.73 for routes to the Canary Islands and $131.92 for any European route.

Additionally, the Oneworld carrier will be operating in coordination with AENA and the Spanish government additional frequencies on routes where Spanair had high market share, namely from Madrid to Barcelona, Bilbao, La Coruna, as well as to the Balearic and the Canary Archipelagos.

SAS, former owner and current minority shareholder of Spanair has released a statement under which it explains the potential impact of Spanair's bankruptcy, saying that it had already written down to 0 the value of its 10.9% shareholding. However, SAS has decided to write down outstanding debts and receivables of around $217.67 million and reserve $36.94 in guarantees and costs due to the bankruptcy.

Spanair was acquired about three years ago by a Catalonian consortium composed mainly by public institutions wanting to convert the airport at El Prat into an international hub with the help of Spanair, which it relocated from Palma de Mallorca to Barcelona for that purpose.

In recent days, rumours about Spanair's bankruptcy gained speed as news popped up that Spanair's president and former president of the Barcelona Football Club Ferran Soriano had already accepted to preside the British Manchester City football club, something Soriano denied only halfheartedly by saying that "he would not leave Spanair".

Spanair's demise can eventually hugely benefit its principal Barcelona based rival, Iberia's low cost affiliate Vueling, also an Airbus A320 operator. Reportedly some Vueling pilots have been taking already courses during the last months to be certified for flying aircraft equipped with the same engines of the Spanair fleet, which might suggest Vueling's preparedness to take over quickly some of Spanair's capacity and routes.

Spanair's domestic market share was 22%, but they did not operate to many destinations, so the actual share on their routes was higher.

La compagnie aérienne scandinave SAS a averti vendredi que l'arrêt des activités de son ex filiale espagnole Spanair, dont elle possède encore 10,9%, allait avoir sur ses comptes un impact négatif de 1,7 milliard de couronnes (191 millions d'euros).
© 2012 AFP

Group market trends, RASK and yield development
Traffic growth continued to be positive during November, but did not fully match additional capacity.

Number of bookings declined temporarily in the middle of the month during the negotiations of new collective agreements. Intercontinental and certain European and domestic routes continued to grow well.

Currency adjusted yield (Scandinavian Airlines) in October was up 3.1% versus previous year and RASK was up 6%.

For November 2012 the yield and RASK (change vs last year) are expected to be close to unchanged.

The response to market campaigns is good and forward booking levels continue to be well above last year's level.

Overall, the market demand continues to be good, but remains unpredictable due to risk in the global economy.

This adds uncertainty to the yield and RASK outlook going forward.

The capacity increase for the 2012/13 financial year is expected to be approximately 5-6%.