SAS Celebrates 80 Years by Recreating Its First Flight to New York

Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) just turned 80, and the airline celebrated by returning to where it all started. On Sept. 17, SAS operated special anniversary flights to New York exactly 80 years after its first transatlantic flight.

SAS marked the anniversary with flights from Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo. All three flights headed to New York, the destination of the airline’s first flight in 1946.

The first trip to New York on a DC-4 named Dan Viking left Stockholm’s Bromma Airport with just 28 passengers on board.

The trip took about 25 hours and included stops in Copenhagen, Prestwick in Scotland, and Gander in Newfoundland before finally reaching New York’s LaGuardia Airport.

Flying to New York Is a Lot Faster Now

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Today, SAS can fly nonstop from Scandinavia to New York in less than eight hours, a big improvement over the 25-hour trip passengers took in 1946.

SAS was actually a brand-new airline at the time. It was formed on Aug. 1, 1946, when the international airline operations of Denmark, Norway and Sweden came together. The first New York flight followed about six weeks later.

SAS Kept Finding Faster Ways to Fly

Then in 1954, the airline became the first to operate a commercial flight over the North Pole, which shortened trips between Europe and the West Coast of the United States.

SAS has shared more photos and stories from its history on its 80th anniversary page, including old onboard dining photos and a look back at some of its past aircraft and uniforms.

SAS Has a Special Anniversary Plane Too

SAS has been celebrating its 80th birthday throughout the year. The airline even painted an Airbus A330-300 for the occasion. The entire plane is covered in SAS blue for the first time and features a special 80th-anniversary symbol. It also has a redesigned Scandinavian flag inspired by one the airline used in the 1980s.

The A330 has 266 seats, and SAS originally planned for its first flight in the anniversary colors to travel between Copenhagen and New York. That made New York part of the birthday celebration even before this week’s three special flights.

SAS also held an anniversary reception in New York on Sept. 18. Guests included people from government, business, aviation and Scandinavian diplomatic groups.