Airline SAS has cancelled almost 1200 flights in May due to high fuel prices.
This was reported by the industry media Check-in.dk on Tuesday based on a count from AeroRoutes, which follows changes in companies' planned flights.
In April, SAS cancelled around 1000 flights, and on Monday the company confirmed that there will also be cancellations in May - although without giving a figure.
However, according to the industry media, there is a reduction in May from 24,805 flights to 23,633 flights.
- Affected customers will receive direct notification with clear information and offers of alternative flights when possible, SAS said on Monday, which has also raised the prices of new airline tickets.
New prices to Nuuk
Last summer, SAS opened a route to Nuuk, and if you do a price check in SAS's booking system, it seems that the prices have increased since last year.
The price for Copenhagen-Nuuk is thus 7,812 kr. for the cheapest ticket, and if you want to return, the price is in the same range, so a return ticket ends up at approximately 16,000 kr. A price check carried out by Sermitsiaq in July last year showed a price with SAS of less than half that for a return ticket.
The first date that can be searched for in the booking system at the time of writing is July 3. Last autumn, we wrote on Sermitsiaq that SAS's first possible flight on the route at that time was May 28. This may indicate that the company has also pushed back the start of this year's flights by a little over a month.
Last year, we at Sermitsiaq did a price check in the middle of the summer, and on the day of the price check, SAS was cheaper than Air Greenland on the Copenhagen-Nuuk and return route. This year, it is the other way around, as a search on Air Greenland's system shows that a standard return ticket in July can currently be obtained for around 9,500 kroner.
Sermitsiaq is working to get a comment from SAS and Greenland Airports on the matter.
The price of jet fuel has increased due to war
SAS's approximately 1,200 cancellations in May are due to the price of jet fuel having increased significantly within a short period of time due to the war in the Middle East.
Iran has largely blocked shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz for more than two months, after the US and Israel started a war against Iran. There is currently a ceasefire, which is however under pressure.
A fifth of the world's oil normally passes through the Strait of Hormuz.
SAS is far from the only company affected by the situation.
The price increases for jet fuel are putting the aviation industry under pressure, and several major companies have canceled flights and raised prices.
On April 21, the German airline Lufthansa announced that 20,000 flights would be canceled until October.
