This is confirmed by the chairman of the Danish pilot association Henrik Thyregod. The parties have been negotiating for over 15 hours on Thursday. Yet they failed to agree. The parties will meet on Friday at 10.00. – See you tomorrow, says Thyregod. National mediator Mats Wilhelm Ruland says that it is a very complicated mediation. – It is a totality that must be solved, and it is not solved. There are a number of questions that must be resolved, says Ruland. He nevertheless emphasizes that the parties are closer than ever. – There have been movements today, he says. He makes no secret of the fact that he wished there was a much better pace in mediation. – I have probably not come across a mediation that has taken as long as this, and it has probably been a wish from all the mediators that an agreement should have been reached now. The parties have spent a lot of time, says Ruland. – We have spent a lot of resources on this, he continues. SAS: – Still a great distance On the way out of the negotiations on Friday night, SAS’s chief negotiator Marianne Hernæs said that there is still a great distance. – There is still a great distance, but now we have sat for almost 17 hours and negotiated so now we need to sleep a little, Hærnes told the press. Negotiation manager Marianne Hernæs in SAS on her way out of the negotiations on Friday night. Photo: Even Bjøringsøy Johnsen / news She emphasizes that the negotiations are demanding. – It has been a bit back and forth, but there are complex things that it is difficult to find agreement on on the important points for both parties. Costs SAS expensive Although there has been no solution, it has previously been signaled that there has been a good dialogue. It is important for the parties to find a solution. The strike costs the company 100-130 million Swedish kroner per day, SAS stated in a press release on Thursday. This amounts to a total of 1-1.3 billion Swedish kroner so far. 2550 aircraft have been canceled, and 270,000 passengers have been affected. On Thursday morning, the current figures for SAS settings to and from Norway are 171. Figures from Avinor’s websites show this, writes NTB. On Friday, 50 settings have already been announced. Earlier on Thursday, after four hours in meetings, the parties took a break for lunch. SAS’s chief negotiator, Marianne Hernæs, then told news that there has been movement during the day. – We are a long way from the goal, of course, but we are working on. The parties meet for a new day of negotiations in Stockholm on Thursday. Photo: ALI LORESTANI / TT NYHETSBYRÅN / NTB Confidence falls Jacob Pedersen, aviation analyst at Danish Sydbank, believes, however, that the parties will have come close or to an agreement within the next few days. – I am convinced that there are more weighty conditions now that lead to an agreement. We have seen that the SAS management themselves have given the impression that they will give in to some important areas. In addition, they have sent out a message, in which they write about how critical the situation is at the moment due to the strike, Pedersen says. – But what has changed in the course of a week? – I am not sure that so much has changed, other than that it has probably become more clear to all parties how painful this strike is for SAS. Financially it hurts extremely. In addition, a situation has arisen where passengers begin to turn their backs on SAS. – Confidence in SAS is simply falling dramatically at the moment, Pedersen says. Jacob Pedersen is an aviation analyst at Danish Sydbank. Photo: Sydbank Can derail the rescue plan The aviation analyst believes the strike threatens the company’s future. – One must remember that these pilot negotiations in and of themselves are only one piece in the puzzle that will be put together to save SAS. There are many other pieces to be laid over the next few months. – In that game, I think this strike, and all the money it costs SAS, is helping to derail the entire rescue plan. – Do they survive not finding a solution? – If the strike just goes on and on, then the Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection process is derailed, Pedersen says. Then SAS will have to change to something other than what the company is known as today. – It will be critical for the company, because it is the special product you have, the hub you have in the Scandinavian, which in itself means that you can deliver a different product than all other airlines. No deadline Riksmekler Mats Ruland said on Thursday morning that they do what they can to get to the finish line. – It is extremely important to find a solution. It is a company that is in a very demanding financial situation, it is an employee group that has been in a conflict for a long time and there are very many who have been laid off. Not least, there are very many tens of thousands who are affected by this. He believes the negotiating climate both before the strike and afterwards has been good. But that does not mean that this is not difficult. – We have no guarantee that we will be able to find solutions today, but I am optimistic. The day will hopefully show that, says Ruland. On Thursday, the Danish aircraft technicians ended their sympathy strike.
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