SAS halts Beijing-Stockholm flight

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) will suspend its Beijing-Stockholm service from May 1 due to declining traffic on that route, the carrier said yesterday. This is the first major suspension of services to China by a foreign airline since the global economic downturn deepened.

SAS launched direct flights between the two cities in 2007. The airline will, however, retain its Beijing-Copenhagen daily service.

"Removing capacity from the long-haul fleet is vital to reduce the risk and financial exposure of SAS operations in this downturn," SAS said in a statement.