SAS faced disruptions over the weekend, grounding several flights across Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. The grounding affected various destinations including Malaga, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, London, Zurich, Stavanger, Tromsø, and Kristiansund. A total of 18 Airbus A320neo aircraft were temporarily halted due to necessary inspections of a specific component.
Passengers faced significant inconvenience, with numerous flights being cancelled or delayed. SAS Press Manager Tonje Sund expressed regret over the timing of the disruptions during the holiday season, emphasising the airline’s commitment to minimising the impact on travellers.
Affected passengers received notifications via email or SMS, although some criticized the lack of information and support from customer service. Many travellers endured long waits for assistance, with reports of frustrating experiences trying to reach SAS representatives.
Despite the challenges, SAS worked diligently to rebook affected passengers onto alternative flights. Sund assured travellers that safety remained the airline’s top priority, with maintenance checks being conducted according to regulations.
While the exact number of affected passengers remained unclear, SAS assured that efforts were underway to mitigate the disruption and provide necessary assistance. The airline acknowledged the inconvenience caused and apologised for the situation, promising to keep passengers informed as developments unfolded.
Both Avinor’s flight radar and reports from Swedish sources confirmed similar disruptions in Sweden, indicating a broader operational issue affecting SAS flights across the region.
As SAS continued to address the situation, Sund reiterated the airline’s commitment to resolving the maintenance checks promptly and restoring normal operations. Despite challenges, SAS aimed to ensure passengers’ travel plans were accommodated as efficiently as possible.
UPDATE
Later, SAS mentioned the real cause of the problem: a pressure regulator transmitter needed inspection on 18 of the A320neos, thus not on all of them. What SAS failed to say is that it missed a scheduled maintenance inspection. As soon as it was discovered, all aircraft which had been missed had to be grounded until the inspection was performed.