SAS Invests In New York With More Direct Scandinavian Routes

Scandinavian carrier SAS is to launch two new seasonal routes from Newark using its new Airbus ... [+] A321LR aircraft.SAS

Travelers in and around New York will soon have even more choice of direct flights to northern Europe. Scandinavian airline SAS has announced two surprising new seasonal routes to bolster its presence at Newark Liberty international airport. From April 2023, SAS will offer direct flights from Newark to Gothenburg in Sweden and Aalborg in Denmark. The news comes soon after SAS announced its return to New York JFK after a 30 year absence, making the New York area a major focus for SAS in 2023 and beyond. SAS will operate both routes three times per week during the summer season using its new Airbus A321 LR aircraft. There will be just 157 seats available, including 22 business and 12 premium economy seats in the single-aisle aircraft. Gothenburg flights will operate on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, with Aalborg flights on Monday, Thursday and Saturday.

The historic center of Gothenburg is a big tourist attraction in Sweden's second biggest city.getty

Gothenburg is Sweden's second biggest city and a popular alternative to Stockholm for a Scandinavian city break. The city of just under 600,000 people offers many family-friendly attractions including Liseberg amusement park, multiple museums and boat trips to the vast Gothenburg archipelago.

Lesser-known among international tourists, Aalborg is Denmark's fourth largest city but is farther away from SAS hub Copenhagen than the country's other major cities. With a history dating back to the Viking Age, the Aalborg region is popular for history tourism and as a gateway to the wider region of North Jutland.

A regional strategy in Scandinavia The new Airbus A321LR single-aisle aircraft gives SAS more flexibility in its long-haul route planning, allowing the airline to operate profitable routes to smaller airports.SAS is using its new Airbus A321LR aircraft on several new transatlantic routes.SAS

While many had expected SAS to launch routes from Copenhagen to smaller U.S. airports, the airline has chosen to flip its focus, at least at first.

In the summer of 2023, SAS will offer up to five daily departures from New York to Scandinavia. In addition to the new routes, SAS flies to all three Scandinavian capital cities Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm from Newark, and is starting a route from JFK to Copenhagen.

The New York area is a tempting offer for Scandinavian travelers in both the business and leisure markets. From Newark, SAS customers can connect to destinations across North America with Star Alliance partners United and Air Canada, among others.

Direct routes from other U.S. airports may still come, but for now strengthening the regional offering in Scandinavia is a key part of the SAS strategy. That's according to Erik Wesman, SAS EVP and chief commercial officer, network and revenue management.

'We see a demand from secondary cities and are delighted to connect even more parts of the world. The Airbus A321 Long Range is a slightly smaller long-distance aircraft and perfect in size for servicing the regional markets,' said Wesman.