Contributor - Europe

Cathy Buyck

Some four months after indicating interest in acquiring the Airbus A321LR to use on new or low-density long-haul markets, SAS announced today it had decided to add three examples. The aircraft, which fly to a range of up to 4,000 nm with 206 passengers when using extra fuel stored in three additional center tanks, will start joining the Scandinavian airline’s fleet in the first half of 2020.

 


SAS will take the A321LRs from the backlog of Air Lease Corporation (ALC) and thus not convert part of its outstanding order for A320neos to the long-range variant. SAS placed an order with Airbus for 65 A320neos and at the end of last year had taken delivery of 24, according to the OEM’s orders and deliveries overview.

 


Rickard Gustafson, SAS president and CEO, labeled the A321LR “incredibly well suited to the Scandinavian market and our travel patterns type,” while also emphasizing the aircraft’s low environmental footprint. “Climate is a crucial issue for the airline industry and SAS aims to lead the way in driving the switch to sustainable travel. We have set a target of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 25 percent by 2030,” Gustafson said.

 


SAS did not reveal A321LR routes under consideration, but pointed out the aircraft has sufficient range to reach the northeast U.S., one of its most important intercontinental markets, and destinations in Canada, the Middle East, and India from Scandinavia. The airline said it would gradually announce the new routes starting this spring.

 


SAS currently flies widebody aircraft—eight A330-300s and eight A340-300s—that seat up to 266 passengers on its intercontinental routes.

 


The smaller A321LR will give SAS the opportunity to fill the aircraft on new routes, the airline noted. “For example, these can be new destinations on smaller markets or existing destinations from smaller airports,” it said. SAS now flies only intercontinental services from the three Scandinavian capital cities—Oslo, Copenhagen, and Stockholm.

 


The carrier expects to start taking delivery of its first A350-900 of an order for eight and options for a further six at the end of this year.

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