SAS Group is suffering – like most airlines as COVID-19 takes its toll. As a result, it has chosen to cut it staff – by 5000 full-time posts.
SAS Airbus A340-300 taxing at Chicago O’Hare International Airport – Image, Economy Class and Beyond
For SAS, the result of COVID-19 is a nasty one – with demand is expected to be significantly affected during the remainder of 2020. In addition, the group is expecting it will take some years before demand returns to the levels experienced before the outbreak.
Currently, SAS is operating a very limited domestic network in Norway and Sweden. Based on the current restrictions, the group sees limited traffic over the summer season.
Where are the cuts being made?
The cuts are falling over the three nations where SAS bases itself, with up to 5000 posts being cut. These are made up of
- 1,900 full-time positions in Sweden
- 1,300 full-time positions n Norway
- 1,700 full-time positions in Denmark.
During this process, SAS will actively engage with its unions and other stakeholders to seek solutions to reduce the number of actual layoffs across the Group, as well as other productivity enhancements over time.
In Quotes
Rickard Gustafson, CEO of SAS said
“COVID-19 has forced SAS to face a new and unprecedented reality that will reverberate not only in the coming months, but also during the coming years. Our ambition is to continue to be the leading airline in Scandinavia and to have a leading role in the Scandinavian infrastructure as a guarantor of national and international connectivity. In order to continue this important societal function, we need to adapt our cost base to the prevailing circumstances. Regretfully, we are forced to adapt our workforce to lower passenger demand. Not least in view of the company’s successful journey in recent years, which has been made possible by the great work done by SAS’s competent and dedicated employees. We will now work intensively together with trade union representatives and others to identify solutions so that as few people as possible are affected. Furthermore, we remain ready to quickly ramp-up operations and reduce the number of affected positions if demand recovers more quickly,”
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