SAS Launches Direct Flights to Bangkok

DALLAS - SAS Scandinavian Airlines (SK), the home airline of the Nordic countries of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, is launching a new direct service from Copenhagen-Kastrup Airport (CPH) to Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK). This follows an increase in leisure air travel demand between the two countries for winter 2023.

The flights to BKK will start on October 30, 2023, coinciding with the start of the high season in Asia, and will be flown three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Additionally, as part of the winter 2023/24 program, SAS will continue its three-weekly flights to Tokyo-Haneda (HND) and Shanghai-Pu Dong (PVG) from CPH.

SAS Scandinavian Airlines A350. Photo: SAS.

Return After Nine-Year Hiatus

Anko van der Werff, CEO of SK, said, "Thailand and the Scandinavian countries have a long history of friendship and cooperation, and returning with a direct route after nine years is a true pleasure. Bangkok is a vibrant meeting point for international businesses. The country has topped several rankings as the world's most popular tourist destination with its beautiful beaches, lush jungles, and extraordinary Thai cuisine."

Flight SK973 will depart Copenhagen at 23:30 local time, arriving in Bangkok in the afternoon one day later at 17:05 local time. The 10:30h journey will be operated by their newest and most efficient Airbus A350-900 aircraft, which can carry 300 passengers in a three-class layout.

Until now, Scandinavian Airlines passengers could only travel to Thailand on codeshared flights operated by Thai Airways (TG). Photo: Alberto Cucini/Airways.

A Star Alliance-Impulsed Route

Southeast Asia, which includes countries such as Thailand, Indonesia, and Singapore, is a region that receives millions of tourists from the Scandinavian region thanks to its unique landscapes with crystalline-water beaches and exotic cuisine. Cities like Phuket (HKT), Krabi (KBV), and Bangkok (BKK) are included in the route network of the leading carriers of the region, like Finnair (AY) and TUIfly Nordic (6B).

However, Scandinavian Airlines has not touched that specific market for several years until now. This may have related to the direct service that Thai Airways (TG), one of the largest partners of SAS, offers daily between the capitals of Thailand and Denmark. In fact, both airlines belong to the massive Star Alliance partnership. Until today, SK passengers benefited from those direct TG flights and the massive short-haul network Thai Airways offers in Asia.

Now that demand has raised for the winter season, Scandinavian Airlines may have decided to also launch this direct route as a support route for the daily flights served by Thai. Thanks to this, not only has capacity been doubled, but now passengers can also choose which carrier suits its needs and preferences better.

https://airwaysmag.com/sas-new-routes-for-summer-2023/

Featured image: Once again, SAS has chosen the Airbus A350 to keep operating the newest and most promising routes of its network. Photo: Mateo Skinner/Airways.