SAS says missing regulatory approval forced Mumbai flight to return to Copenhagen

MUMBAI: Scandinavian carrier SAS said its inaugural Copenhagen-Mumbai flight returned to Copenhagen because a final regulatory approval expected from authorities was not issued as anticipated. The A330 aircraft was overhead in Azerbaijan when the aircraft turned back and diverted to Copenhagen.

Flight SK969 departed Copenhagen for Mumbai around 8.30pm, about four hours behind schedule, showed Flightradar24, a flight-tracking site.

"The Copenhagen-Mumbai flight returned to Copenhagen after the final approval expected from the authorities was not issued as anticipated," SAS said in a statement.

The airline said it had completed all necessary operational and regulatory preparations for the route launch following months of planning and coordination and had expected the remaining formal approval to be finalized while the flight was en route.

"As the approval was not finalized as anticipated, the flight could not continue as planned," the carrier said. SAS said its immediate focus was supporting affected passengers and obtaining the remaining approval needed to begin services. "The safety and security of our passengers, colleagues and operations is never compromised," the airline said.

The carrier added that it expects the Copenhagen-Mumbai service to commence within the next few days once the formal approval is issued. The Mumbai route marks SAS's return to India after a 17-year absence and is aimed at strengthening connectivity between Scandinavia and India. The airline said it remains ready to commence operations and looks forward to continuing the route as planned.