SAS and its pilot unions in Sweden, Denmark and Norway first clashed in a conflict in June, with most pilots walking out on July 4 after the talks between the parties collapsed. SAS estimates that the strike has so far caused 2.500 flight cancellations, which cost the airline between $94 million and $123 million.
The unions demand that the air carrier back out of the planned wage cuts and rehire the workers who had been sacked during the pandemic. SAS previously decided to institute these measures as part of the rescue plan in a bid to cut costs and compete with low-cost airlines. Danish broadcaster TV2 reported that talks between SAS and the striking pilots last Wednesday did not yield any result.
"We are talking about a company in which the state has interests and which has set requirements for its employees that are far beyond what is normal in working life," Skogvang told Norwegian broadcaster NRK. "To be honest, I really expected more from a social-democratic government."
The airline's CEO, Anko van der Werff, has warned that the strike puts the future of SAS and the jobs of thousands of its employees in jeopardy.
SAS, Scandinavia's leading air carrier with key hubs in Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm, operates flights in Europe, the United States and Asia.