SAS Scandinavian Airlines is set to launch a daily nonstop flight between Copenhagen and Atlanta June 17, allowing onward travel through the world’s busiest airport through a new codeshare agreement with Delta Air Lines Inc.
The connection will mark the first time in more than a decade that Atlanta will be linked directly with the capital of Denmark, to which Delta suspended its flights in 2012.
Atlanta will become the U.S. city served by SAS, which has reportedly begun the process of switching its longtime allegiance from the Star Alliance, led by United, to Delta’s SkyTeam.
The flight will leave Atlanta each evening at 7 p.m. and. stay aloft for just over nine hours before touching down in Copenhagen at 10:20 a.m. on the following day. The Airbus A330 aircraft will be configured with 262 seats. SAS cited the cargo potential of the route as key due to Atlanta’s proximity to the fast-growing ports in Savannah.
“This development means an expanded offering for SAS passengers, who can look forward to reaching several new and exciting destinations across the Southern USA, Caribbean, and Latin America, all conveniently accessible from Atlanta,” SAS President & CEO Anko van der Werff said in a news release.
The announcement Jan. 16 was welcomed by diplomats and business boosters around Georgia, which boasts a strong contingent of high-tech firms and manufacturers from three countries whose influence on the global economy far surpasses what their combined population of 21 million might suggest.
“The announcement of a new direct flight from Atlanta to Copenhagen is great news,” said Christopher Smith, an attorney in Macon and the honorary consul of Denmark in Georgia. “The route is something that has long been sought by members of both the Danish and American business communities in Atlanta due to the strength of the bilateral trade and investment between Scandinavia and Georgia. The relationship with Denmark alone supports over 4,200 jobs in Georgia.”
Mr. Smith also pointed to expanded tourism opportunities, saying the flight would offer better access for business travelers via SAS into the Baltic nations and could bring more Scandinavian tourists to Georgia.
Ida Pond, executive director of the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce Georgia, said travelers trust the SAS brand and that many Swedes, especially from the nation’s south, use Copenhagen as their “home airport.”
“It is something Scandinavians in Atlanta have been missing,” she said of the flight.
Tom Rosseland, an Atlanta attorney who serves as honorary consul for both Norway and Sweden in Georgia, said deepening air links will be a boon for the state’s recruitment efforts, both servicing existing investors and promising better connectivity for those considering the state.
“The addition of SAS as a carrier option is highly beneficial, since direct connectivity to Scandinavia will promote more flexibility, resiliency and fare options for experienced business travelers to and from Georgia and the Southeast,” Mr. Rosseland said in an emailed statement.
Georgia has long been a magnet for Swedish investors like Sinch, PartnerTech, Devyser, Volvo, Axis Communications and many more.
Danish firms like rugged vehicle maker Hydrema, aerospace firm Terma, logistics giant DSV, muffler manufacturer Dinex, water meter producer Kamstrup, and more than 60 others have set up shop in Georgia. Many of them are small providers of precision technologies or highly engineered niche products, using Georgia as the beachhead for broader U.S. expansion.
The flight will launch as construction heats up on a $2.6 billion battery facility being built by Norway’s Freyr Battery in Newnan.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, a member of the Swedish chamber, said the new service shows the city’s commitment to openness and global connectivity.
“This strategic partnership resonates with our city’s commitment to progress, presenting enriched travel experiences and solidifying Atlanta’s standing as a diverse destination for both business and leisure,” Mayor Andre Dickens said in an airport news release. (The airport is a City of Atlanta entity.)
The airport has sought to woo new foreign carriers with incentive prorgrams designed to help market the new routes once they begin service. Recent successes include Ethiopian Airlines and Copa Airlines, among others.
In its own release, SAS cited the 94 million passengers passing through the world’s busiest airport last year as a much-needed pool of potential new customers.
SAS entered bankruptcy proceedings in 2022 and last October agreed to allow Air France-KLM to take an up-to 19.9 percent equity stake in the company alongside other investors including the Swedish government. The French-Dutch tie-up participates in a broader transatlantic joint venture with Delta and Virgin Atlantic that has provided Atlanta travelers deep access into European cities. When the new Copenhagen flight launches, travelers out of ATL will be able to reach 77 destinations in 45 countries with a nonstop flight, according to the airport.
Based in Stockholm, SAS is the flag carrier of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, the rare national airline that operates across three culturally complementary nations.
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