SAS takes aircraft out of service

Scandinavian airline SAS has permanently taken all of its Dash 8 Q400 aircraft out of service, following safety issues with the plane in last month.

The plane is one of four different types SAS uses, and has been carrying around five per cent of its passengers.

The airline had had to cancel over 100 flights in September, after a crash-landing that resulted in the plane having to be evacuated. There were no injuries from the incident.

As a result of the September incident another airline that used the planes, Flybe, also cancelled its services while checks took place.

"Confidence in the Q400 has diminished considerably and our customers are becoming increasingly doubtful about flying in this type of aircraft. Accordingly, with the Board of Directors' approval, I have decided to immediately remove Dash 8 Q400 aircraft from service," explained Mats Jansson, SAS president and chief executive.

John Dueholm, deputy chief executive of SAS, added: "The Dash 8 Q400 has given rise to repeated quality-related problems and we can now conclude the aircraft does not match our passengers' requirements concerning punctuality and regularity."

There will be some cancellations as a result of the aircraft being taken out of service, but this will not affect SAS services in the UK.

For full details of the cancellations see www.flysas.com.