When a pilot refused to land in Sälen, 133 passengers were stranded. According to SAS, the runway was too slippery.

– Ultimately, it is a decision based on safety and we never question that, says Alexandra Lindgren Kaoukji at SAS.

When the SAS plane from Copenhagen was to land at Scandinavian Mountains Airport in The seal on Sunday, the pilot considered it too unsafe.

The plane, with 68 passengers on board, circled 7 times over Sälen for 40 minutes and then returned to Denmark. 

133 people who were supposed to take the return flight were left at the airport.

– It was too slippery. That assessment is made by the control tower and the airport. Since safety comes first, the decision is made in a joint forum not to land, says Alexandra Lindgren Kaoukji at SAS.

Stayed at the airport

Airport manager Gunnar Lenman says they did not expect the decision to reverse.

– It's the captain who decides, but it was surprising. It's the first time in six years that this has happened due to ground conditions, says Gunnar Lenman, to Mora newspaper.

The airport was able to arrange accommodation for 120 of the passengers, and about ten were allowed to stay overnight at the airport. The following morning they were driven to the Norwegian airport Gardermoen, where they were allowed to fly to Copenhagen.

Disagreement about slipperiness

According to the airport manager, the runway was no slipperier than normal.

– It was the last flight of the day, all other planes that arrived during the day had landed before and we were ready to land. It has been a normal pre-winter here all weekend, Gunnar Lenman tells Mora newspaper.

When SAS is contacted by the airport's statement, they do not recognize it.

– I have no information about what they thought, but it sounds strange if they would speak out against us. We haven't really experienced that before, so I can't say anything about that, but it is ultimately a decision based on safety and we never question that, says Alexandra Lindgren Kaoukji at SAS.

Source: Expressen.se