SAS expands Long Haul Network with New Dubai, Phuket and Krabi Flights
SAS were obviously studying the long-haul map and thinking, “Do you know what this part of Scandinavia really needs in winter? Sunshine.” For Winter 2026/27, the company will launch three shiny new intercontinental routes from Copenhagen: Dubai World Central, Phuket and Krabi. And yes, those cold Nordic winters just became a whole lot more tolerable.
The development also comes amid surging demand for travel to the Middle East and Asia by still-growing numbers, even if Copenhagen is less visibly muscling up as gateway city on Scandinavia and northern Europe for long haul.
Dubai Is Back (For Now, Anyway)
And the most nostalgic part of the announcement? SAS This will be SAS’s first time in Dubai since 2011. The airline is bringing back direct access to one of the world’s largest business and leisure hubs after a 15-year pause — because sometimes you need skyscrapers, shopping malls and winter sunshine in one hit.
Dubai World Central has ensured the travel between Scandinavia and the UAE is back on, whether they are en route for meetings, a holiday or a very well-earned stopover in somewhere warmer than Copenhagen in January.
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Thailand Gets the VIP Treatment
If there’s one place Scandinavians love as much as efficient airports, it’s Thailand — and the airline knows it. For Winter 2026/27, Thailand-bound product offerings from the airline will be scaled up considerably, as it becomes the sole carrier to provide non-stop services to both Phuket and Krabi from Copenhagen.
That’s correct: no layovers, no last-minute sprints across transfer terminals — just directly to beaches, boats and pad thai. This means that SAS’s seat capacity to Thailand will be more than 75% higher year-on-year, though a polite way of putting it would be: wow is this route popular!
Bigger Fleet, Bigger Ambitions
This long-haul glow-up is fuelled by the arrival of two more Airbus A350s which will increase SAS’s fleet to seven and its total A350 operations by 34%. Translation? More seats, more comfort and more versatility in the network.
And that’s not the end of SAS’ domination in these new routes. Frequencies will also be added to current long-haul services to Boston, San Francisco, Chicago, Seoul, Tokyo Haneda and Bangkok for a fuller spread of intercontinental expansion.
Copenhagen Keeps Winning
New links like these, from SAS see beyond bridge-and-tunnel Copenhagen to a city that needs to be read as an urban international hub rather than a local stop.
More places to go, more seats to sit in and more sun on the schedule? For Winter 2026/27, SAS is going to ensure long-haul season starts the minute you walk out the door — still wearing your coat but with flip-flops already packed.
