SAS To Add 50 Airbus A320neos To Fleet

Scandinavian airline group SAS has signed a purchase agreement with Airbus for 35 A320neos and will lease a further 15 of the type as it transitions to an all-Airbus fleet.

The 35-aircraft order, worth USD$3.87 billion at list prices, will be delivered by 2023, while the leased planes will be delivered between spring 2019 and 2021. The order includes options for a further five A320neos.

SAS is phasing out its short-haul fleet of Boeing 737s and older A320s, and will operate a single type, the A320neo, by 2023.

“Just over one year ago, we started to phase into service brand new Airbus A320neos, and since then we have received a very positive response from our customers,” SAS chief executive Rickard Gustafson said.

SAS has an existing order for 30 A320neos, with 17 delivered, according to Airbus figures. It also operates eight A330s and eight A340s, and has eight A350s on order for delivery from 2019.