- SAS celebrates 80th anniversary
- Founded in 1946 as Scandinavian Airlines System
- First airline to fly scheduled commercial flight over North Pole in 1954
- Member of SkyTeam alliance
- Operated DC-8-62 aircraft in jet age
SAS has been celebrating its 80th anniversary joining a small club of airlines that have brought pride to their nations and passengers for more than 80 years. Not many carriers in the world can claim such a legacy. Eighty years ago on September 17 1946 three Scandinavian nations made a bold bet that flying further meant flying together. That is how Scandinavian Airlines System was born in 1946, a merger ahead of its time.
SAS has embodied Scandinavian modernity, a carrier that dared to fly where the map ran out. In 1954 it became the first airline on Earth to conquer the North Pole with a scheduled commercial flight, opening a new highway between continents and carrying this pioneering spirit into the jet age with aircraft like the DC-8-62. SAS is a member of SkyTeam alliance.
The airline continues to operate across Scandinavia and international routes.
Ben Smith of Air France shared: “Eighty years ago, three Scandinavian nations made a bold bet: that flying further meant flying together. That’s how Scandinavian Airlines System, or SAS, was born, in 1946, a merger ahead of its time and which has aged rather well. To me, SAS has always embodied Scandinavian modernity, a carrier that dared to fly where the map ran out. In 1954, it became the first airline on Earth to conquer the North Pole with a scheduled commercial flight, opening a new highway between continents and carrying this pioneering spirit into the jet age with aircraft like the beautiful DC-8-62. SAS, it’s a pleasure to fly alongside you in SkyTeam.”
