SAS faces Mumbai route delays and Barcelona strike disruptions

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) is facing operational challenges involving both new route launches and existing flight disruptions. The airline has announced a third delay for its prestige route to Mumbai, India. Originally intended to resume service after a 17-year hiatus, the route's launch has been repeatedly pushed back due to difficulties in securing necessary permits from Indian authorities. Following a failed inaugural flight in June where the aircraft was denied landing rights, the start date has now been moved to October 1.

Separately, SAS flights have been impacted by ground staff strikes at Barcelona-El Prat Airport in Spain. A strike involving ground handling services has caused significant travel chaos, affecting over 20 airlines and potentially impacting up to 2.4 million passengers. One SAS flight from Barcelona to Oslo arrived at Gardermoen without passenger luggage because loading the bags would have caused the flight to depart too late, violating crew rest requirements.