Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) has announced the launch of a nonstop link with Copenhagen by Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), bringing the Scandinavian carrier back to India after 17 years, Aviacionline reported.

The airport operator confirmed the service on October 1, the day the first flight was scheduled to leave Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. The first departure from Mumbai (BOM) was scheduled for October 3.

The route will be operated year-round with five weekly flights on Airbus A330 aircraft configured with 266 seats, under flight numbers SK969 and SK970, according to SAS's August statement cited by the report.

SK969 leaves Copenhagen at 16:10 and arrives in Mumbai at 04:30 the next day. It operates on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. SK970 departs Mumbai at 06:30 and lands in Copenhagen at 12:15, operating on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

The sector covers about 6,400 kilometres. Flight time is around 8 hours 50 minutes towards India and slightly more than 9 hours on the return leg.

In a post, the airport highlighted the link between "Nordic charm" and Mumbai's energy, and pointed to the route's potential for travel, trade and cultural exchange, as well as connectivity to Europe and the United States via Copenhagen.

From its Copenhagen hub, SAS offers onward connections to Scandinavia, the rest of Europe and long-haul destinations such as New York, Boston and Toronto, giving Mumbai passengers new transfer options.

SAS Chief Commercial Officer Paul Verhagen described the launch as a milestone in the airline's 80th anniversary year and as a gateway between Scandinavia and one of Asia's main economic centres, the report said.

The route was first announced in June 2025 with a planned start on June 2, 2026. SAS confirmed in August that operations would begin on October 1, after operational preparations were completed. The airline's last nonstop service between Denmark and India was Copenhagen-New Delhi, which was suspended in 2009.

Aviacionline noted that the new service adds a European network carrier on the Mumbai-northern Europe corridor at a time when the city's airport system is also shifting some international traffic towards the new Navi Mumbai airport.

Source: Aviacionline