SAS announced Tuesday that their first of eight Airbus A350’s, the Ingegerd Viking, will enter revenue service today. The inaugural flight for the airline’s A350 will depart Copenhagen’s Kastrup International Airport enroute to Chicago-O’Hare.
It is always a very exciting day in an airline’s history, having invested hundreds of millions of dollars in a new aircraft, when the aircraft finally enters revenue service. The team at SAS is celebrating the inaugural service of their new A350 ‘Ingegerd Viking’ today. The aircraft is the first delivery of eight A350s that SAS has on order. The flight (SK943) will depart Copenhagen’s Kastrup International Airport (CPH) for O’Hare International Airport (ORD) in Chicago today. Celebratory events will take place at both airports to mark the momentous occasion. In Tuesday’s announcement, SAS’ President and CEO, Rickard Gustafson said,
“The aircraft is one of our biggest investments, enabling us to provide an outstanding travel experience. We look forward to welcome travelers on board this state-of-the-art aircraft. With this new aircraft we reduce the fuel consumption compared with the aircraft it replaces, which means reduced carbon emissions by up to 30 percent.”
The Ingegerd Viking will be based at SAS’ Copenhagen hub and operate on seven international routes during the first year of operation including service to Chicago, Beijing, New York, Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong and San Francisco. As part of SAS’ fleet modernization program, by the end of 2023 the carrier will take delivery of 80 Airbus A320neos, five A330s, eight A350s and three A321LRs.
Editor’s Note: We congratulate Mr. Gustafson and the SAS team on today’s inaugural flight and are sure that their 300 guests, lucky enough to be onboard the Ingegerd Viking, will be delighted by the modern cabin, new seat design and unique SAS solutions throughout the aircraft.
Source: SAS