Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) has announced plans to open seat reservations for its first commercial electric services, although customers will have to wait another five years for the flights to take off.
At 1200 CET on June 2 the carrier will allow customers to make reservations for a total of 90 seats across three inaugural flights in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark.
The price of the service will be SEK/NOK/DKK 1946 (a tribute to the year when SAS first started flying), although no charge will be made until 30 days prior to the flight, which is “expected to take place during the course of 2028”.
In fact the reservation is really just an expression of interest at present, as both the date and place of departure for the flights has yet to be decided.
Customers can reserve a maximum of two seats each by visiting flysas.com/electric.
SAS has previously committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, and highlighted innovations including a partnership with Airbus to collaborate on research into hybrid and electric aircraft eco-systems, and cooperation with Swedish start-up Heart Aerospace to drive the development of electric aircraft.
Airbus to partner with SAS on hybrid and electric aircraft research
Targets include a 25 per cent reduction in absolute CO2 emissions by 20025 (compared with 2005), and a 50 per cent reduction in noise pollution by 2030 (compared to 2010).
Commenting on the news Anko van der Werff, president and CEO of SAS, said:
“Since its inception in 1946, SAS has been one of the pioneers in the airline industry, being for instance the first commercial airline operator to fly over the North Pole to significantly shorten flight time between continents. A groundbreaking activity for which SAS received the Columbus Prize.
“The fact that we can now invite our passengers to the next major milestone in the future of aviation is a natural continuation of that pioneering spirit and a significant step on our journey towards more sustainable aviation.”