SAS Scandinavian Airlines (SK, Copenhagen Kastrup) has secured a four-year NOK1 billion krone (EUR110 million) contract with the Armed Forces of Norway, effective from February 1, 2020, it revealed in a statement dated October 19. Incumbent Norwegian (Oslo Gardermoen) also competed for the agreement.

The Norwegian Armed Forces contract is one of the biggest public sector deals the airlines have competed for, the statement said. It covers more than 350,000 passengers per year, which the pan-Scandinavian carrier described as "a significant contribution to the number of passengers transported by SAS in Norway".

It also means that SAS will return to Bardufoss Airport with 3x daily departures from the civilian sector of the Royal Norwegian Air Force’s air base, which is located 70 kilometres (130kilometres by road) south of Tromsø.

SAS said that the contract would also lead to additional frequencies on routes such as Oslo Gardermoen to Bergen, Trondheim, Bodø, and Harstad/Narvik, "which will help boost passenger volumes". It comes ahead of SAS starting to phase in the A320neo into its Norwegian network in the autumn.

“We are particularly pleased that the decision was made based on SAS delivering the best proposal on all criteria,” Torbjørn Wist, the carrier's chief financial officer, said.