Copenhagen — Pilots at troubled Scandinavian airline SAS have offered to fly stranded charter travellers home, despite being on a strike due to failed pay talks.
The exception will apply for a few weeks to the company's more remote destinations, from where there is no alternative return journey, according to a Thursday statement. The pilots, however, will not fly new passengers to these holiday destinations because they would run a risk of ending up in a similar situation later. "We assume that SAS will live up to its responsibility by not flying new passengers to these destinations with the help of other airlines or strike breakers," the statement said.
In return, the pilots are calling on SAS to lift the "lockout" aimed at them. The Swedish pilots' association accuses SAS of using the coronavirus pandemic to fire almost half of the airline's pilots, with an agreed right to re-employment negated. About 30,000 passengers are being affected daily, according to SAS. The airline on Tuesday filed for bankruptcy with a US court.
It noted that bankruptcy proceedings in America, known as Chapter 11, are a "well-established and flexible legal framework."
The proceedings are generally used by companies that seek legal protection while restructuring. A judge oversees the process.
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