SAS Marks 80th Anniversary with Special Airbus A330-300 Livery
- Joe Breitfeller
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
SAS has today unveiled a special 80th anniversary livery adorning an Airbus A330-300, celebrating eight decades of connecting Scandinavia to the world. Throughout 2026, the carrier will continue to highlight their long and illustrious heritage.
On Tuesday (March 31, 2026), SAS marked the start of their 80th year of operations by unveiling a specially painted Airbus A330-300, celebrating eight decades of connecting Scandinavia with the world. Throughout 2026, the airline will highlight its heritage and continued role in linking people, businesses and societies. This comes 80 years after SAS’s first intercontinental flight on September 17, 1946, with service from Stockholm to New York. Today, SAS links Scandinavia with destinations across Europe, North America and Asia, using Copenhagen as its primary international gateway.
In Tuesday’s announcement, SAS’ President & CEO, Anko van der Werff, said,
“For 80 years, Scandinavian Airlines has driven innovation and brought Scandinavia closer to the world through safe and reliable operations. From our first transatlantic flight to today’s global network, that purpose remains unchanged. This aircraft is a symbol of our heritage, and of the role we play every day for our customers and the societies we serve.”
The special liveried aircraft is part of the SAS’ long-haul fleet, which includes eight Airbus A330-300s, each with 266 seats, complemented by the state-of-the-art Airbus A350, and A321LR, serving SAS’s intercontinental network.
SAS Marks Their 80th Anniversary with a Bespoke Airbus A330-300 Livery - Courtesy SAS / Cision
The livery features SAS blue across the entire aircraft for the first time, building on one of the airline’s most recognizable design elements. The Scandinavian flag has been reinterpreted as a reference to the classic 1980s livery, alongside a new anniversary logo inspired by the aircraft’s engines and fuselage. The bespoke liveries A330-300’s first flight is scheduled between Copenhagen and New York, echoing the historic route that defined SAS’s early international expansion.
Founded in 1946, SAS is the leading airline in Scandinavia, with main hubs in Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm, and flying to 135 destinations across Europe, the U.S. and Asia. Each year, SAS serves over 25 million passengers and transports around 60,000 tons of cargo, all facilitated by a passionate team of more than 10,000 colleagues. The company aims to be a driving force in sustainable aviation and in the transition towards net zero emissions by 2050. SAS also offers ground handling services, technical maintenance and air cargo services. SAS officially joined the global SkyTeam airline alliance in September 2024, and together with their partner airlines offers a wide network worldwide. On July 4, 2025, the Air France-KLM Group announced their intention to take a majority ownership stake in SAS, further expanding one of Europe’s leading aviation groups.
Source: SAS/Cision
