This is the largest investment in our company's history and it is a clear signal of our faith in the future, says SAS CEO Anko van der Werff at a press conference at Kastrup, Copenhagen Airport.
Despite the focus on Copenhagen, Arlanda can also benefit, he believes.
I think this is very relevant for Sweden as a country and for the Swedish economy as a whole, he says.
He sees several opportunities to open new long-haul routes from Arlanda with the new fleet and points in particular to destinations in the USA.
More SAS destinations
The 39 large long-haul aircraft from Airbus that SAS is investing in are the A330-900neo - with 287-303 seats - and the A330-300 - with 250-290 seats. The order follows the large order for 55 Embraer E195-E2 aircraft last year.
"It strengthens our network of long-haul flights. It reduces emissions and creates flexibility in our aircraft fleet," says van der Werff.
From 2027, a couple of new aircraft per year will be put into service, initially leased and from 2030 newly manufactured planes from Airbus.
The result will be, among other things, more and new SAS destinations from Copenhagen, but also from Oslo and Stockholm, according to the SAS manager.
The aircraft have a total list price of over $10 billion (approximately SEK 97 billion), according to SAS.
Estimated to create 25,000 new jobs
SAS - founded by Sweden, Norway and Denmark 80 years ago - has been controlled by the French-Dutch airline group Air France-KLM since 2024.
Last year, Air France-KLM increased its ownership to 60.5 percent. The Danish state remains a minority owner with approximately 26 percent of the shares, while the Swedish and Norwegian states have stepped down as owners.
In total, SAS's investments will create 25,000 jobs by 2030, of which around 4,000 in southern Sweden, according to independent SEO Amsterdam Economics. In southern Sweden, 1,300 are estimated to be in the form of employment at the airport, 700 at subcontractors and 1,100 in the broader economy.
I am incredibly happy about this new initiative, because it in itself creates a lot of jobs in the region, says the chairwoman of the Malmö municipal board, Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh (S).
She also points out that more long-haul routes to and from Kastrup are good for companies in the region and can attract new establishments.
