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SAS : The United Nations of the Air

The Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) claims its earliest origins with DanishAirlines, which was formed in 1918 and is one of three parent companies that

make p SAS! Danish Airlines is the world"s oldest airline still in operation! #n19$% Swedish Airlines and &orwegian Airlines 'oined Danish Airlines, and thethree companies egan operating as SAS on Septemer 1, 19$%, when a newlyac*ired D+$ flew from Stockholm to &ew -ork! The cooperative ventreamong the three contries *ickly earned SAS the moniker, .The /nited &ationsof the Air!.

The sccess of the airline *ickly ecame evident! #n 19$ it carried 01,08passengers on its &orth and Soth Atlantic flights (18,$2% on the &ew -ork rotealone), transported 22 tons of cargo, and oasted a staff of 1,122 employees!3st for years later SAS carried more than $82,222 passengers on its

intercontinental, 4ropean, and domestic flights! The nmer of employees hadincreased to %,%2, and the SAS fleet had grown to inclde 10 D+%s, two D+%5s on order, 12 D+$s, % D+s, eight SAA5 Scandias, two Sandringhams,and si6 3nkers 370 seaplanes!

/pon delivery of its first D+%5 in 1970, SAS made an e6ploratory flight over the&orth ole, flying from ong 5each, +alif!, to +openhagen, Denmark! The D+%5was the first commercial airplane to fly over the olar region! Two years laterSAS ecame the first airline to fly a schedled rote sing the olar shortct,with service etween +openhagen and os Angeles! Ac*isition of the longerrange D++ in 197% allowed SAS to offer nonstop operation over the ole as

far as Tokyo, making it the first airline to operate an arondtheworld rote overolar regions!

SAS egan 'et operations in 1979 when it ecame the first airline to introdce the:rench Sd Aviation +aravelle into service! The following year, the airlineintrodced the D+8 on rotes to &ew -ork, os Angeles, and Tokyo!

#n 19%% SAS ecame the lanch cstomer for the medimrange D+9 Series $1and shortrange D+9 Series 01, with orders for 12 of each model! The followingyear marked three significant milestones for SAS; the introdction of the D+9 onits 4ropean rotes, the retirement of its last D++, and the lanching of the

first longrange D+8 Series %0 to inagrate a transAsian shortct to 5angkokand Singapore!

SAS was one of the first airlines to ild alliances with other airlines, whichhelped the airline remain viale dring periods of reglation and e6tremecompetition! As early as the 1972s, SAS e6changed carrier traffic rights withother airlines in order to roaden its service otside of Scandinavia! Thesee6changes eventally led to mch stronger alliances, which allowed airline

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partners to develop a worldwide network with coordinated timetales! Thesepartnerships permitted SAS to spport a mch more comprehensive rotestrctre than it cold offer alone!

SAS also formed airline alliances for technical cooperation in order to redce

operating costs! #n 1978 SAS and Swissair agreed to share maintenance,inventories and training facilities! This agreement eventally led to the formationin 19%9 of the ed as the most pnctal airline in 4rope in 1980, and in 198$earned Air Transport ?orld"s .Airline of the -ear. award! ?ith its distinctive4ro+lass service, SAS also won the .5est assenger Service. award from AirTransport ?orld in 198!

SAS invested in a @1!7 illion fleet renewal program in 1988, ordering nine5oeing %s, % =D82s and several orders for :okker 72 airplanes forcommter service! #n 1997 the airline placed its largest order ever; $1 5oeing%22s, with delivery to egin in 1998! The following year SAS ecame the first

4ropean airline to operate the =D92! #ts crrent fleet of 1% airplanes incldes:okker 72s and :08s, SAA5 0222s, 5oeing %s, a $022 freighter, D+9s,=D82s, and =D92s!

SAS celerated its 72th anniversary in 199%, a very prodctive year; ?ith a staffof more than 01,222 employees worldwide, the airline carried nearly 02 millionpassengers to 127 destinations in $ contries! #t operated an average of 1,222flights per day and carried some 072,222 tons of cargo! The contining sccessof its cooperation with other airlines clminated with the formation of Star Alliancein 199! This partnership of SAS and for other airlines represents an integrated,worldwide air transport network with flights to more than 722 cities in 112contries!

Editor's Note

5oeing +ommercial Airplane rop is prod to present the history of SAS, anindstry partner whose profitale and safe operations contine with the =D82,=D92, and 5oeing %! All content is provided y SAS!

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