SAS to eliminate in-flight duty-free sales in bid to reach reduced emissions target

Aiming to reduce emissions by between 25% and 30% by 2030, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) has announced it will no longer be selling duty-free goods on planes in an attempt to further reduce weight and thus save fuel as a part of its wider-ranging strategy.“ Every step on the way to sustainable travel is important,” said Freja Annamatz, an SAS spokeswoman. She said: “passengers’ buying behavior has changed with fewer inflight sales and sustainability has become more important than ever before.”

In a survey carried out by Sweden’s national rail operator SJ, of 1,000 people interviewed in Sweden, thinking about the effect of their travel on the environment enters the thoughts of over 57 percent of travelers.

Scandinavian carriers face stiff competition as a result of environmental awareness with an increase in the number of travelers going by train. In 2018, train passengers increased by 1.5 million and passenger numbers have increased by 8 percent, year on year, for the first quarter of 2019. In contrast and according to airport operator Swedavia, domestic passenger numbers in Sweden fell by 3 percent.

Scandinavian carriers have been aiming to either be more environmentally friendly, or at least appear to be. SAS has teamed up with Airbus to develop hybrid and electric aircraft, in addition to buying more fuel-efficient aircraft and turning to biofuels