Airline SAS plans its largest-ever investment by ordering up to 40 new long-haul Airbus aircraft. The five-year initiative is expected to create around 4 000 new jobs in southern Sweden by 2030.
SAS chief financial officer Jonathan Wallden and chief executive Anko van der Werff presented the plans at a conference in Copenhagen. The investment covers Airbus A330-900-neo and A330-300 aircraft with a list price exceeding 10 billion dollars, about 97 billion kronor. The airline has been 60.5 percent owned by Air France-KLM since 2024.
Malmö municipal board chair Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh (S) welcomed the announcement and highlighted opportunities to attract international companies to the region. The South Swedish Chamber of Commerce also sees positive effects for accessibility and economic growth.
Aviation expert Jan Ohlsson warned, however, that more departures via Copenhagen could mean fewer direct flights from Arlanda and higher costs for Swedish tourism. SAS was founded 80 years ago by Sweden, Norway and Denmark, but the Swedish and Norwegian states have exited as owners.