Scandinavian Airlines operated its first flight between Luxembourg and Copenhagen on Monday, marking the Scandinavian carrier's return to Findel after more than a decade's absence. The official inauguration of the route took place at Luxembourg Airport during a launch ceremony attended by, among others, Susanne Shine, Danish Ambassador to Luxembourg, Erik Westman, SAS Chief Revenue Officer, as well as Alexander Flassak, Lorenzo Di Loreto and Jie Zhou for Luxembourg Airport.
The launch of the route was symbolised by a ribbon-cutting ceremony held in the terminal. Prior to the boarding of the first flight, passengers were welcomed by an entertainment including pastries, macaroons and hot chocolate, to mark the opening of this new route between the two capitals.
SAS now operates two daily flights between Luxembourg and Copenhagen. The inaugural flight was operated by a Bombardier CRJ-900LR, a regional aircraft capable of carrying between 76 and 90 passengers. The airline highlights access to the Copenhagen hub, which provides connections to the whole of Scandinavia as well as to Europe, North America and Asia.
The airline had not served Luxembourg since 2015. At the time, it suspended the route after ten years of operation, believing that the arrival of Luxair on this destination in 2013 had altered the economic balance of the route and reduced its profitability. The return of SAS now comes as part of a wider expansion programme announced by the airline last year. This includes the opening of nine new routes, six new destinations and an increase in international connections from Copenhagen.
At Findel, this new route should intensify competition with Luxair, which already offers direct flights to the Danish capital and remains the most used operator on this route today. Depending on the season, the route between Luxembourg and Copenhagen represents around 18 weekly flights, all airlines combined.
This competition could result in increased pressure on fares. At the same time, however, the airline industry is faced with highly volatile fuel costs. Scandinavian Airlines, for example, announced this week that it had introduced "temporary fuel-related price adjustments" - two euros per ticket - to take account of the recent rise in the price of paraffin in Europe linked to the conflict in the Gulf, on a temporary basis, it told AFP.
