Negotiations between SAS and the Scandinavian pilot unions continue on Thursday.

Even if the parties reach an agreement and the strike is called off, it may take a couple of days before SAS can fly as usual.

Roger Klokset, who leads the Norwegian pilots' union, said on Wednesday evening that negotiations are suspended for the evening and will resume at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday morning.

Earlier, on Wednesday morning, he told the gathered journalists waiting outside the Chamber of Commerce in Östermalm in Stockholm that he hopes that SAS will now have realistic savings requirements, and that SAS will respect the collective agreement.

But he could not say how long the negotiations would last.

”"It could take time, it could go quickly. It depends on SAS," said Klokset, noting that it was SAS that invited the negotiations. 

He was then asked if he and the Norwegian pilot union were still prepared to bankrupt SAS.

”"We have never wanted to see SAS go bankrupt. But we stand up for principles in working life. Then it is the SAS board that gets to decide what will happen to SAS," said Klokset.

On Tuesday, Norwegian mediator Mats Ruland was already on site in Stockholm. He hopes that the parties will be solution-oriented when they meet at the negotiating table again, Ruland told NTB. 

Around 900 SAS pilots have been on strike for almost ten days. Since then, between 200 and 250 flights and 30,000 passengers have been affected daily.

On Monday, both parties announced that they were willing to start negotiating again.

According to aviation analyst Hans Jørgen Elnæs, the announcement indicates that a solution may soon be in sight.

”"I think we can talk about days," Hans Jørgen Elnæs told TT on Tuesday. 

Even if the parties reach an agreement and the strike is called off, it could take a couple of days before SAS can fly as usual, according to SAS's press officer in Denmark.

”"Many planes have been parked during the strike, and therefore they must undergo a special security procedure to be allowed to fly again. It takes time," says Alexandra Lindgren Kaoukji to the Danish news agency Ritzau.

A sympathy strike among mechanics in Copenhagen also means that more mandatory inspections of the plane must be carried out. According to the rules, this should happen every three days, but this has not happened during the strike, writes Ritzau.

Therefore, it can be faster from Oslo and Stockholm.

”"Overall, it may take a few days before we have all the planes ready. But there are planes that can depart faster," says Alexandra Lindgren Kaoukji.

Source: TT-DI.SE