Scandinavian Airlines attempted to launch its first service to India after a 17-year gap with a new route that no airline has ever flown before, but its aircraft was unfortunately prevented from completing the mission. Failing to receive final approval from civil aviation authorities in India, the Airbus A330-300 widebody jet made a U-turn in Azerbaijan airspace and returned to Copenhagen International (CPH).
The route from Copenhagen Airport to 
Mumbai International (BOM) has never been served by any air carrier, and a ground team was standing by in Mumbai with water cannons for an inaugural celebration after touchdown. SAS was led to believe that the jet would receive final approval on the route, but no confirmation came, which forced the plane to cancel its itinerary.
The Flight to Nowhere and the Aborted Salute
The tone was set from the moment the plane pushed back as Flight SK969 departed roughly four hours late on its ill-fated journey. About four hours into the flight, while cruising over Azerbaijan, the cockpit crew was instructed to turn around and return to Denmark. Passengers spent roughly 12 hours in the plane only to land right back where they started in Copenhagen. That effectively means the passengers lost at least one day of their actual trip sitting in a metal tube.
The travelers could have lost thousands of dollars in prepaid Indian domestic flights, train tickets, tour plans, or even business opportunities, depending on the purpose of their visit. While SAS covers the basic ticket rebooking, the financial fallout for the travelers goes far beyond a delayed arrival. SAS cannot simply keep passengers stranded indefinitely. To fulfill their contract of carriage, SAS likely had to purchase last-minute tickets for hundreds of passengers on other carriers.
According to The New Indian Express, neither the Directorate General of Civil Aviation nor the Ministry of Aviation in India have made public announcements regarding the incident. The outlet chose to recount this statement from the airline.
“SAS had every expectation that the remaining formal approval would be finalized while the flight was en route… Our immediate focus is on supporting affected passengers and securing the remaining approval in order to commence service as soon as possible.”
A330: Legacy Airframe Pioneering a New Air Corridor
The total cost for this aborted long-haul journey could easily have exceeded half a million dollars for SAS, especially factoring in inflated fuel prices due to ongoing conflicts around the world pushing up the price of oil. Flying an older Airbus A330 model means that fuel consumption alone would have been higher than on many similar sorties with newer planes and incurred tens of thousands of dollars in losses.
One of the reasons that the A330 was chosen is that it is the lowest-capacity widebody in the SAS fleet. That will keep capacity modest and maximize the chances of high load factors as the new route builds demand. Still, the compensation that passengers are entitled to will far overshadow even the total sunk cost in operating expenses on the aborted flight, and the A330-300 is outfitted with 266 seats.
As SAS takes delivery of more advanced, flagship Airbus A350 aircraft, these newer planes are taking over premier long-haul routes to markets like North America. The A330-300 is configured as SAS’s least-premium widebody. While it still features Business Class and SAS Plus, it carries a higher ratio of standard economy seats compared to their premier aircraft.
SAS Announces Return To India After 17 Years As IndiGo Expresses Interest In Copenhagen Service
It will be the first time that Mumbai has had service from Scandinavia.
The Grand Return That Never Landed
SAS has stated that they are working closely with relevant government authorities to secure the outstanding authorizations. They expect to officially commence the 5-times-weekly service as soon as the final paperwork is granted, which they hope will be within a few days. SAS recently underwent a massive corporate restructuring, exiting Star Alliance and joining the SkyTeam alliance. This new route to Mumbai serves as a major post-restructuring move under a new strategy.
India is currently the fastest-growing major aviation market in the world. SAS originally pulled out of India in 2009 during the global financial crisis. As the joint flag carrier of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, the airline was forced to consolidate operations within the European Network to stabilize its core business at that time. Flying to Mumbai allows SAS to bypass Russian airspace with a minimal detour, making it a highly fuel-efficient and profitable way to serve the growing demand for travel between India and Europe.