Scandinavian carrier SAS has obtained court approval to continue operating as normal, following its filing for US Chapter 11 protection.
The company has been granted clearance to continue operating as an airline, pay employees’ wages, suppliers’ fees, and taxes, and honour customer programmes including its EuroBonus loyalty scheme.
SAS had filed a series of ‘first day’ motions as part of its seeking voluntary restructuring under Chapter 11, through a New York court, on 5 July.
“These court approvals confirm that our operations will continue as usual as we begin our restructuring process,” says chief executive Anko van der Werff.
“We remain focused on providing the service our customers are used to, while accelerating our efforts to implement key elements of our comprehensive business transformation plan.”
This transformation plan, known as ‘SAS Forward’, is intended to slash the company’s cost base but it has met resistance from certain stakeholders.
