SAS cancels many flights as pilots go on strike

Pilots at the Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) in Sweden, Denmark and Norway went on strike Friday as talks on wages and other issues broke down, leading to many cancelled flights, SAS said.

The strike, called by the Scandinavian pilot unions, came after the pilot group and the airline failed to find common ground on a collective bargaining agreement on salary increases and other issues related to working hours and schedules.

"SAS is prepared to continue to negotiate, but if the requirements were to be met, they would have very negative consequences for the company," said Karin Nyman, director of communications at SAS.

The talks started in March, with external mediators joining in recently, whose bid was rejected by the pilot unions.

Domestic, European and long-haul flights have been canceled, and tens of thousands of travelers will be affected, the airline said.

The strike is expected to affect roughly 70 percent of the flights. The remaining unaffected flights are operated by SAS partners.

Finavia,the company which operates airports in Finland has advised passengers to follow SAS's information on the matter.