The aim is to normalize flights as soon as possible. The strike has affected an estimated 30,000 passengers every day.
The strike of the pilots of the Nordic airline Scandinavian Airlines ends when SAS and the four pilots unions have reached an agreement. The goal is to return to the planned schedule as soon as possible. However, already canceled flights remain cancelled.
Information Manager Karin Nyman says for SVT (you switch to another service)that all scheduled flights of SAS Scandinavia will be flown already today, Tuesday, if they have not been canceled before.
– A lot can happen, but now it looks good. We have prepared for the fastest possible start, says Nyman.
The strike began on July 4 and by Monday had cost the company EUR 94–123 million, according to its calculations.
900 pilots participated in the strike. The pilots were protesting pay cuts that were part of a reorganization of SAS operations.
In addition, the unions were irritated by the fact that the company had not rehired 560 pilots who lost their jobs during the corona pandemic. SAS instead used pilots on the payroll of its subsidiaries.
Now SAS has committed to hiring back 450 pilots.
More than 2,500 flights were cancelled, which affected the plans of 30,000 passengers every day, according to the company’s invoices.
– I deeply regret that the strike has affected so many of our passengers, says the CEO Anko van Der Werff in the bulletin.
The pilots’ union SFP states in its own release that the negotiations have been exceptional and very demanding.
Solutions for financing will be sought in the coming weeks
The resulting contracts are for 5.5 years and, according to the company, increase the productivity of the pilots and the flexibility of the flight seasons.
The agreement still requires approval not only from the company and the pilots, but also from the US court. Earlier in July, the company applied for bankruptcy protection in the United States.
Legal processes against the company started by pilots and trade unions will also be cancelled.
SAS has been in major financial difficulties for a long time, which was made even worse by the corona pandemic. Now the company says it will be able to move forward in securing financing. According to the release, solutions are expected in the coming weeks.
The company employs nearly 7,000 people, mainly in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Its biggest owners are Swedish and Danish taxpayers.
This summer, many European airlines and airports have suffered from staff shortages, which affects the flow of air traffic.