Scandinavian Airlines Announces First-Ever Flight to India with A330

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COPENHAGEN- Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) has announced its first-ever scheduled service to India. Starting June 2, 2026, SAS will launch five weekly non-stop flights between Copenhagen (CPH) and Mumbai (BOM).

This new route will connect Northern Europe with India’s financial capital. This marks a strategic entry into one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets and reflects SAS’s intent to diversify beyond its traditional European and North American network.

SAS Plans India Flights

Mumbai, often called the commercial heartbeat of India, is one of the busiest aviation hubs in South Asia.

According to India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation, Mumbai Airport handled over 51 million passengers in 2023. International traffic has steadily rebounded to pre-pandemic levels. Europe–India traffic alone crossed 7 million two-way passengers in 2023.

The passenger demand is expected to grow at 6–8% annually through 2030, driven by business travel, diaspora connections, and leisure tourism.

Copenhagen Airport is Scandinavian Airlines’ main hub. The airport serves as a natural gateway to the Nordic region. The airport served over 22 million passengers in 2023 and is focusing on intercontinental routes.

The addition of flights to Mumbai strengthens Copenhagen’s appeal as a transit point for Northern Europe and the Baltic.

The Mumbai–Copenhagen route is expected to see healthy demand from both point-to-point passengers and those connecting onward to destinations like Stockholm, Oslo, and Helsinki.

Flight Schedule

Effective from June 2, 2026, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) will operate a five-times-weekly nonstop service between Copenhagen (CPH) and Mumbai (BOM). The route will be flown using the Airbus A330-300

The outbound flight, SK969, will depart from Copenhagen at 13:10 local time. The flight will arrive in Mumbai at 01:30 am IST the following day.

This service will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, providing an afternoon departure from Scandinavia and an early-morning arrival in India.

The return flight, SK970, will leave Mumbai at 06:00 am IST, arriving back in Copenhagen at 11:45 am local time.

This leg will run on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, ideal for business or leisure travelers continuing into Northern Europe or North America through SAS’s hub at CPH.

India–Scandinavia, a long-underserved market

Despite growing demand for travel between India and Northern Europe, nonstop connectivity between India and Scandinavia has remained remarkably limited. As of today, a handful of options are available only from Delhi.

Finnair once operated flights on the Helsinki–Mumbai route. However, the airline’s withdrawal in 2023 left a noticeable void.

Currently, Finnair only serves Delhi with daily flights to Helsinki. SAS’s nonstop flight announcement is well-timed. India has become one of the top market opportunities for European carriers.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) projects that India will become the third-largest aviation market in the world by 2026, overtaking the UK. Outbound travel from India is also booming — over 29 million Indian international travelers flew in 2023, with Europe being a top destination for students, tourists, and business executives alike.

Mumbai specifically has seen increased service from major global airlines. Air India has expanded flights from Mumbai under Tata Group ownership. Low-cost giant IndiGo has also increased international connectivity.

Competition at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport is fierce. However, SAS’s entry brings a much-needed direct connection to Scandinavia, which has lacked nonstop service to India for years.

Network Expansion Post-Restructuring

This India launch comes on the heels of SAS’s financial restructuring in 2024. The airline made a move from the Star Alliance to SkyTeam and saw a major investment from Air France-KLM and the Danish government.

The airline’s new direction includes expanding long-haul flying to underserved regions, and India fits that strategy perfectly.

Denmark, along with other Scandinavian countries (Norway and Sweden), has been focused on attracting Indian travelers in recent years. The efforts seem to have paid off. Denmark witnessed a growth in travelers of 31 percent from the Indian market in 2024 when compared to 2014.

With Scandinavia seeing increased tourism from India, this route promises mutual benefits. SAS will offer seamless access to India for European travelers. The airline will offer Indian passengers a direct, reliable route into Northern Europe, avoiding layovers in Frankfurt, Doha, or Istanbul.

Bottom Line

This new five-times-weekly service between Copenhagen and Mumbai is a positive sign. This signals confidence in India’s growing aviation market and potential. This will likely open new opportunities for further SAS expansion in India, with cities like Delhi or Bangalore likely candidates in the future.

Scandinavian Airlines SAS currently has 3 Asian destinations: Tokyo (HND), Seoul (ICN), Bangkok (BKK), Beirut (BEY), and Tel Aviv (TLV). With Mumbai (BOM) launching in June 2026, that number will rise to six.

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