SAS Group


SAS AB , trading as SAS Group, is an airline holding company headquartered in the SAS Frösundavik Office Building in Solna Municipality, Sweden. It is the owner of the airlines Scandinavian Airlines and Scandinavian Airlines Ireland. SAS once owned 19.9% of the now defunct Spanish airline Spanair as well as shares in Estonian Air and Skyways Express. SAS Group is partially owned by the governments of Sweden and Denmark with a 14.82% and 14.24% holding, respectively. The remaining 70.92% is held by private shareholders, of which Foundation Asset Management owns 6.50%. The company is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange, the Stockholm Stock Exchange, and the Copenhagen Stock Exchange.
The conglomerate was founded in 1951 as a merger between the three Scandinavian flag carriers Aerotransport, Det Danske Luftfartselskab, and Det Norske Luftfartselskap, 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. The SAS Group previously owned the Rezidor Hotel Group and Braathens and had a minority interest in bmi, airBaltic, Texas Air, Thai Airways International, and LAN Airlines. SAS was a founder of the Amadeus Computerised Reservation System and the Star Alliance, where several of the group's airlines are members. SAS runs the frequent flyer program EuroBonus.

History

The airline was founded on 1 August 1946 when Det Danske Luftfartselskab A/S, AB Aerotransport, and Det Norske Luftfartselskap AS 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, SAS Norge, and SAS Sweden, 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.
;SAS Group Milestones
SAS Group is the main operational company in the SAS consortium. As of January 2017 the SAS Group company structure looks as follows:
;Core SAS Holdings
;SAS Individual Holdings
The SAS Group head office is currently in the SAS Frösundavik Office Building in, Solna Municipality, Sweden, in the Stockholm area.
The SAS Group head office was previously located on the grounds of the Stockholm Arlanda Airport in Sigtuna Municipality, Sweden.
Before spring 2011, it was located in the SAS Frösundavik Office Building.

Partners and alliances

Presidents

The SAS Group fleet consists of the following aircraft as of August, 2019:
TypeSASWiderøeTotalNotes
Airbus A319-10044OY-KBO in retro c/s
Airbus A320-2001111
Airbus A320neo3027
Airbus A321-20088
ATR 72-60069
Airbus A330-30099
Airbus A340-30066
Boeing 737-7002222
Boeing 737-8002727
Bombardier CRJ9002424
Bombardier CRJ100011
De Havilland Dash-8-1002222
De Havilland Dash-8-30066
De Havilland Dash-8 Q20033
De Havilland Dash-8 Q4001010
Embraer E190-E233
Total14844192

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.
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.

Destinations

SAS Museum

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 as well as its parent companies: AB Aerotransport, Det Danske Luftfartselskab, and Det Norske Luftfartselskap. 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.