SAS celebrates 80 years with commemorative flights to New York

SAS is celebrating its 80th anniversary with commemorative flights from Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Oslo to New York. These flights honor the airline's origins, specifically the inaugural flight on September 17, 1946, which traveled from Stockholm-Bromma to New York-LaGuardia.

The original 1946 journey utilized a Douglas DC-4 named ‘Dan Viking’ and carried 28 passengers. That flight lasted 25 hours and included scheduled stops in Copenhagen, Prestwick, and Gander. In contrast, modern flights on the same transatlantic route are direct and take less than eight hours.

To mark the milestone, SAS is hosting a commemorative reception in New York City on September 18, 2026, in collaboration with Scandinavian diplomatic missions from New York and Washington, D.C. The event aims to bring together leaders from government, diplomacy, business, culture, and aviation.