SAS is canceling over 100 flights this week from Norwegian airports in Bergen, Oslo, Trondheim, and Stavanger. The airline will cancel at least 1,000 departures in April, a move it attributes directly to high fuel prices due to the war in the Middle East. SAS operates around 800 flights per day, and the cancellations mainly affect destinations with many daily departures, according to official sources.
In response, SAS is introducing a temporary fuel surcharge due to the war in the Middle East driving up oil prices. The price of aviation fuel has doubled in ten days, with jet fuel prices rising sharply due to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and Gulf region, according to research sources. Last week, the price of jet fuel was at its highest level in almost four years, over $200 per barrel, and global jet fuel prices have increased by 82.8% over the past month, reaching around $175 per barrel according to IATA data.
SAS denies that wage negotiations and pilot shortages are the reason for cancellations, according to Øystein Schmidt, the airline's communications chief. However, the airline faces significant labor issues: the Civil Aviation Authority has stated that SAS violates working environment laws and has imposed daily fines, and a captain with full seniority at Norwegian earns 44% more than a colleague at SAS, according to multiple reports. Pilots can now negotiate wages again but without the right to strike due to the 2022 agreement, but negotiations have not progressed since starting in December 2025, with accusations from both sides of breach of negotiation duty.
Passengers are facing significant disruptions, with many SAS customers having flights canceled, some on short notice, with alternatives involving multiple layovers and longer travel times. In one case, a family's flight from Kristiansund to Sarajevo was canceled, and SAS proposed an alternative route with three layovers taking over 11 hours, according to multiple reports. If the family buys new tickets, the price is over six times higher than when they booked in November, but if they take the alternative route, SAS covers the new tickets.
Passengers have clear rights to compensation up to 600 euros per person if cancellations are due to commercial decisions based on increased fuel prices, according to multiple sources. Compensation applies even if the cause is an extraordinary event like war, according to Thomas Iversen of Forbrukerrådet. Compensation depends on flight length: domestic 250 euros, within EU/EEA up to 400 euros, outside EU up to 600 euros, and if SAS rebooks passengers close to the original flight time, compensation can be halved. Passengers can choose between rebooking, refund, or later travel, with rights to compensation for expenses due to cancellation.
SAS's exposure to the price surge is partly self-inflicted as it dismantled internal rules requiring it to lock in cover on at least 40% of its fuel consumption, according to multiple reports. The airline is more vulnerable than competitors because it has not hedged fuel prices, while Norwegian has bought over half and Ryanair 85%, with Ryanair stating it is not affected at all by this. SAS became the first significant European carrier to axe flights in response to rocketing fuel costs due to the Iran war, according to multiple sources.
Given the situation in the Middle East and rapid fuel price increases, SAS is taking measures to strengthen resilience.
The impacts are industry-wide, with airlines globally increasing fuel surcharges on tickets to manage rising operating costs, according to research. Fuel surcharges are added to the base fare and help airlines adapt to evolving fuel costs without permanently altering ticket fares. Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo, Akasa Air, Cathay Pacific, HK Express, Air France, and several others have announced fuel surcharge increases: Air India's ranges from INR 399 for domestic flights to INR 18,474 for international routes, while IndiGo has announced an INR 425 surcharge for domestic flights and up to INR 2,300 for Europe routes. Air India and Air India Express have been adding increased fuel levies since March 12, 2026, and will hike fuel surcharges for Europe-bound flights to INR 11,540.40 and for North America/Australia to INR 18,464.64 starting March 18, 2026.
Other airlines are responding differently: Norwegian has not canceled any flights but is monitoring the situation, according to the airline. Aurigny of Guernsey is canceling some flights from mid-April to early June due to the Iran war, describing it as proactive measures, and has introduced a temporary fuel adjustment surcharge of £2 per sector on all new bookings, with demand for flights down 13% in May, according to Aurigny.
Operationally, SAS has suspended services to Tel Aviv and Beirut and may postpone the launch of a direct Copenhagen-Dubai route scheduled for October, according to research. The extra cancellations are from March 25 to April 12, mostly to Spain from all Nordic countries, according to multiple reports.
Jet fuel typically represents 25-30% of airline operating costs, according to research, making it a major expense. Fuel costs for an average SAS flight have risen by just over 500 Swedish kronor, with transatlantic routes incurring about 2,700 kronor in additional expenses, according to research. The price adjustment is temporary and effective immediately, differentiated between long-haul and short-haul, and does not apply to those who have already booked and paid, according to Alexandra Lindgren Kaoukji, SAS communications chief.
Strategically, SAS became the first significant European carrier to axe flights in response to rocketing fuel costs due to the Iran war. Norwegian is taking similar measures, according to multiple reports, while charter company Ving currently will not charge any extra fuel surcharge on already purchased trips, but has a clause allowing it if fuel prices spike later. Other airlines like Qantas and Air New Zealand have announced similar measures, and rising supplier costs across the aviation industry and potential supply chain disruptions are secondary risks, according to research.
Historically, SAS has canceled hundreds of flights since messages about attacks on Iran came in on February 28, according to multiple reports. The exact total number of flights SAS has canceled to date, and how many passengers are affected, remains unknown. Similarly, how long the temporary fuel surcharge will last, and what the specific amounts are for different routes, has not been disclosed. The current status of the wage negotiations between SAS and the pilot union, and whether there are any planned strikes or actions, is also unclear.
The implications of this crisis are still unfolding, with unknowns including whether other major airlines besides SAS, Norwegian, and Aurigny are canceling flights due to fuel prices, and to what extent. The projected financial impact of the cancellations and surcharges on SAS's profitability and stability is not yet known.