SAS To Launch Flights to India

SAS, or Scandinavian Airlines, is changing rapidly following the hefty Air France-KLM investment that pulled the airline out of the Chapter 11 murky waters. First step was align to the new investors making a move to SkyTeam from Star Alliance, then came the new routes. Most significant of which was SK929 linking Copenhagen to the key Delta (and SkyTeam) airport of Atlanta. Now though comes news of a move that is uncharacteristic to SAS looking at recent years. The airline will launch a new eastwards flight to Mumbai, India.

Why is SAS launching flights to Mumbai?

Flying to Mumbai makes quite a lot of sense for SAS for a couple of reasons:

1. India is a huge market and has growing economic ties with Europe where also a large expat population lives. SAS is a one stop gateway to the larger Scandinavian region for passengers traveling from and to India. Filling a void that has risen with Scandinavian Airlines’ Star Alliance departure
2. Flying to India, contrary to China and the Far East, doesn’t involve having to avoid Russian air space. Therefore SAS can compete on a level playing field with the local carrier, that still has access to Russian Air Space.

What is the schedule for SAS Mumbai flights?

SAS is committing quite some effort to its new SK969 flight from Copenhagen to Mumbai, as it will operate a 5x weekly frequency on such route. The timings will see Scandinavian Airlines flight SK969 operate its newest service like this:

• SK969 departs Copenhagen (CPH) at 13:10 with arrival into Mumbai (BOM) at 01:30 the next morning.
• SK970 departs Mumbai (BOM) at 06:00 with arrival into Copenhagen (CPH) at 11:45.

That means the aircraft will remain on the ground for almost 5 hours. Not ideal from an operational point of view, as you’d want the plane to be flying as many hours as possible out of the 24 in a day.

Flights will operate every (in the Copenhagen to Mumbai direction SK969):

• Tuesday
• Thursday
• Friday
• Saturday
• Sunday

When does Scandinavian start flying to Mumbai?

If you’re already packing your bags while reading this post, hold on! The flight won’t take off and launch until June 2nd 2026. Almost a year into the future.

Until then Tokyo Haneda and Seoul Incheon (launching September 12th 2025) will be the sole destinations SAS serves in Asia, setting aside the Middle Eastern destination.

Also, flight SK969 marks the return of Scandinavian Airlines to India after 17 years of absence.

What aircraft will SAS use for Mumbai flights?

Well the airline won’t be sending out its most advanced and modern aircraft on the new SK969 route. It will be utilizing for flights from Copenhagen to Mumbai, starting June 2nd 2026, one of its 8 Airbus A330-300 planes. That means that passengers on the route will have the choice of 3 travel classes which feature:

• 32 Business Class Seats in a 1-2-1 layout
• 56 Premium Economy Seats in a 2-3-2 layout
• 178 Economy Class Seats in a 2-4-2 layout

Business class seats all come with direct aisle access and lie-flat beds. However, they come in a staggered configuration where window-side seats in odd-numbered rows are very exposed to the aisle, which is not that nice when paying the hefty price tag these seats come with.

How much do SAS Mumbai flights cost?

Speaking of price tags, how much will these flights cost? Generally SAS does not target heavily premium focused clients, and therefore comes with lower price tags, however, as of writing this post, June 27th 2025, I still don’t know how much flights on SK969 from Copenhagen to Mumbai will cost. The governmental approval is still pending and only closer to launch date will prices be revealed.