Mumbai: After a bungled-up launch in June, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) on Monday announced its much-awaited return to India on Oct 3 with direct, non-stop flights between Mumbai and Copenhagen. The launch Copenhagen-Mumbai flight will leave on Oct 1.After an absence of 17 years, SAS was scheduled to recommence its India flights on June 4, but the inaugural flight had to turn back mid-way over regulatory issues. About four hours after departing Copenhagen, the A330 aircraft operating flight SK 969 was overhead in Azerbaijan when the aircraft turned back and diverted to Copenhagen. With the final regulatory clearance pending, the airline cancelled its flights to Mumbai, while offering passengers a refund or rebooking them on alternative flights.In the current schedule, the airline will operate the route five times weekly; with the new service set to offer connections to onward destinations, including New York, Boston, and Toronto.
