Airline SAS says survival at stake as pilot strike grounds flights

Wage talks between Scandinavian airline SAS and its pilots collapsed on Monday, triggering a strike that puts the future of the carrier at risk and adds to travel chaos across Europe as the peak summer vacation period begins. The action is the first major airline strike to hit when the industry is seeking to capitalise on the first full rebound in leisure travel following the pandemic. It follows months of acrimony between employees and management as the airline seeks to recover from the impact of lockdowns without taking on costs it believes would leave it unable to compete. At the same time, employees across Europe are demanding wage rises as they struggle with surging inflation. A strike could cost SAS nearly 100m Swedish crowns ($10m) per day, Sydbank analyst Jacob Pedersen calculated, and the company's future ticket sales will suffer. Shares in SAS were down 4.7% by 1511 GMT. "A strike at this point is devastating for SAS and puts the company's future together with the jobs of thousands of colleagues at stake," SAS CE Anko van der Werff said.<br/>