SAS Group
Company type | Partly Public |
---|---|
Industry | Airline and Hotel |
Founded | 1946 merger by ABA (1924), DLL (1918) and DNL (1927) |
Headquarters | Stockholm, Sweden |
Key people | Jörgen Lindegaard, CEO (has announced that he will retire automn 2006) |
Products | Air transportation, cargo and temporary residence |
Revenue | ![]() |
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Number of employees | 32 363 |
Website | www.sasgroup.net |
The SAS Group, is a company based in Stockholm, Sweden. The company is owned by SAS Danmark A/S, SAS Norge AS and SAS Sverige AB, those companies are owned by SAS AB. SAS Group owns several airlines and hotels in Europe.
SAS Group
SAS Group is the main company in the SAS concern and it's owned by 50% of Scandinavian Government (Sweden (21.4%), Norway (14.3%) and Denmark (14.3%)) and the remaining 50% publicly held and traded on the stock market at Stockholm Stock Exchange, Copenhagen Stock Exchange and Oslo Stock Exchange. SAS Group owns 100% of SAS Scandinavian Airlines Sverige, SAS Scandinavian Airlines Danmark, SAS Braathens and Blue1. SAS owns 99.6% of Wideroe, 94.6% Spanair, 49% Estonian Air, 47.2% Air Baltic, 37,5% in Air Greenland, 25% of Aerolineas de Baleares and Skyways Holdings and 20% of BMI. SAS Group also owns 100% of SAS Cargo Group and 75% of Rezidor SAS.
SAS Group Companies

- Scandinavian Airlines Businesses
- Scandinavian Airlines International (100%)
- Scandinavian Airlines Danmark (100%)
- Scandinavian Airlines Sverige (100%)
- SAS Braathens (100%)
- SAS Business Opportunities (100%)
- Subsidiary Airlines
- Wideroe (100%)
- Blue1 (100%)
- Spanair (94.9%)
- Estonian Air (49%)
- Air Baltic (47.2%)
- Airline Support Businesses
- SAS Media (100%)
- SAS Flight Academy (100%)
- SAS Cargo Group(100%)
- SAS Technical Services (100%)
- SAS Ground Services (100%)
- Hotels
- RezidorSAS (75%)
- Affiliated Companies
- Air Greenland (37.5%)
- Skyways Express (25%)
- Aerolineas de Baleares (25%)
- bmi (formerly British Midland) (20%)
Partners and Alliances
- Scandinavian Airlines, SAS Braathens, Blue1 and Spanair are members of the Star Alliance.
- SAS Cargo Group is a member of the WOW Alliance
- Wideroe, Skyways Express, AirBaltic and Estonian Air are members of the Well conected with SAS
History
The airline was founded on 1 August 1946 when the flag carriers of Denmark, Sweden and Norway formed a partnership to handle intercontinental traffic to Scandinavia. Operations started on 17 September 1946. The companies then started coordination of European operations in 1948 and finally merged to form the current SAS Consortium in 1951. When established the airline was divided between SAS Danmark (28.6%), SAS Norge (28.6%) and SAS Sweden (42.8%), all owned 50% by private investors and 50% by their respective governments. SAS gradually acquired control of the domestic markets in all three countries by acquiring full or partial control of several local airlines. In May 1997 SAS formed the global Star Alliance network with Air Canada, Lufthansa, Thai Airways International and United Airlines.
SAS Group Milestones
- 1918 Det Danske Luftfartselskab A/S (DLL), SAS' Danish parent company, is founded
- 1920 DDL is listed on the Copenhagen Stock Exchange
- 1924 AB Aerotransport (ABA), SAS' Swedish parent company, is founded
- 1927 Det Norske Luftfartselskap A/S (DNL), SAS' Norwegian parent company is founded
- 1946 SAS is formed from Det Danske Luftfartselskab A/S (DDL), Det Norske Luftfartselskap A/S (DNL) and Svensk Interkontinetal Lufttrafik AB (SIL
A). The first intercontinental flight Stockholm - New York.
- 1951 DDL, DNL and ABA form the present SAS Consortium.
- 1954 SAS is the world's first airline to fly the Copenhagen - Los Angeles polar route in scheduled services.
- 1955 SILA (which owned 50% of ABA) was quoted on the "Stockbrokers' List" in Sweden.
- 1957 SAS is the first airline to offer "round the world service over the North Pole." North Pole Shortcut Copenhagen - Anchorage - Tokyo.
- 1959 SAS enters the jet age. The first jet aircraft, Caravelle, in service.
- 1960 SAS opens its first hotel, the SAS Royal Hotel Copenhagen. SAS helped set up Thai Airways International, taking a 30% share in the joint venture.
- 1965 SAS is first to introduce and electronic reservation system.
- 1967 DNL is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange.
- 1971 SAS puts its first Boeing 747 jumbo jet into service.
- 1977 SAS sold it's remaining stakes in Thai
- 1980 SAS opens its first hotel outside of Scandinavia, the SAS Kuwait Hotel. SILA is listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange
- 1981 SAS EuroClass is introduced on all European routes.
- 1982 SAS is the most punctual airline in Europe for the first time.
- 1984 SAS receives Air Transport World's distinction "Airline of the Year" for 1983.
- 1986 Spanair is founded.
- 1989 SAS International Hotels owns 40% of Intercontinental Hotels Group. This stake sold in 1992.
- 1994 Focus on airline operations in the SAS Group - sale of a number subsidiaries.
- 1996 SAS celebrates its 50th anniversary on August 1. Harmonization and name change of SAS parent company to SAS Danmark A/S, SAS Norge ASA and SAS Sverige AB.
- 1997 SAS is one of the founders of Star Alliance.
- 1998 Air Botnia becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of the SAS Group.
- 1999 The SAS Group becomes a majority owner of Widerøe
- 2001 A single SAS share is established. On July 6, SAS is listed on the stock exchanges in Stockholm, Copenhagen and Oslo. Braathens is acquired by the SAS Group in December.
- 2002 Rezidor SAS Hospitality signed a master franchise agreement with Carlson Hotels Worldwide.
- 2003 Acquisition of 49% of the shares in Estonian Air.
- 2004 Incorporation of Scandinavian Airlines Sverige, SAS Braathens and Scandinavian Airlines Danmark.
SAS Group Presidents
- 1946 - 1948 Per A. Norlin
- 1949 - 1951 Per M. Backe
- 1951 - 1954 Per A. Norlin
- 1955 - 1957 Henning Throne-Holst
- 1958 - 1961 Åke Rusck
- 1961 - 1962 Curt Nicolin
- 1962 - 1969 Karl Nilsson
- 1969 - 1978 Knut Hagrup
- 1978 - 1981 Carl-Olov Munkberg
- 1981 - 1993 Jan Carlzon
- 1993 - 1994 Jan Reinås
- 1994 - 2001 Jan Stenberg
- 2001 - 2006 Jørgen Lindegaard
- 2006 - ?
Share holders
This is a list of the principal share holders in SAS AB.
- The Swedish government 21.4%
- The Danish government 14.3%
- The Norwegian government 14,3%
- Knut and Alice Wallenberg's foundation 7.4%
- National Bank of Denmark 1.4%
- JP Morgan Chase Bank 1.3%
- Livförsäkringsaktiebolaget 1.1%
- State of New Jersey Common Pens 1.0%
- First AP-fund 0.9%
- Odin Funds 0.8%
- SEB Sverige Småbolagsfond 0.8%
- SSB CCL Omnibus 0.8%
SAS Museum
The exhibits at the SAS Museum at Oslo Airport Gardermoen represent an important part of Scandinavian civil aviation history. The museum collections cover Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) as well as its parent companies: AB Aerotransport (ABA), Det Danske Luftfartselskab (DDL) and Det Norske Luftfartselskap (DNL). A museum was originally established in 1989 in the hangar area at Oslo Airport Fornebu at the same time as the formation of the DNL/SAS Historielag (the DNL/SAS Historic Society). It was built up through the efforts of a group of enthusiasts among retired and active SAS employees. The establishment of the new museum in 2003/2004 is a result of SAS feeling a responsibility to document the history of Scandinavian civil aviation. For this purpose, the airline has entered a partnership with its three national historic societies and the latter undertake the day-to-day work on a volunteer basis. SAS absorbs the rental cost of the museum building and has also provided depots for museum exhibits in Denmark and Sweden. The museum at Gardermoen is therefore more than just a continuation of the facility at Fornebu – it is a completely new and considerably expanded Scandinavian museum. It is run by a board that includes representatives of the SAS consortium and the historic societies.
Destinations
see all SAS Groups destinstions
See also
- Radisson SAS
- SAS Braathens
- Air Baltic
- Estonian Air
- Spanair
- Skyways Express
- Wideroe
- Blue1
- Scandinavian Airlines