We’re Not Becoming ‘Air France-KLM Lite,’ SAS CEO Tells Skift

Anko van der Werff has long championed consolidation. With Air France-KLM poised to take majority control, he’s getting his wish while (hopefully) keeping the airline’s Scandinavian soul.

Anko van der Werff is having a wild week.

On Tuesday, the SAS CEO signed a multi-billion dollar deal for 45 new Embraer aircraft – the company’s largest direct order in decades. Today, he was shaking hands with Ben Smith as Air France-KLM prepared to triple its stake in the Scandinavian carrier.

Speaking to Skift from Stockholm, van der Werff described Friday's announcement as both strategic and symbolic: “This is not marketing, it's not boasting, but this is a historic day for us,” he said. “We’ve been interested and open to consolidation and finally after many years – in fact, a few decades probably – SAS is succeeding in consolidating.”

The deal, which remains subject to regulatory approval, will see AF-KLM increase its shareholding in SAS to 60.5%, enabling much deeper integration between the two companies. The Franco-Dutch group will acquire existing SAS stakes held by asset management firms Castlelake and Lind Invest.

AF-KLM currently owns a 19.9% shareholding in SAS. Van der Werff said the move to more than 60% shows that th