Denmark, Sweden and Norway prepared to divest combined 50% stake in SAS

Danish Government stated it is prepared to sell its 14.3% stake in SAS if presented with a satisfactory offer from an investor, taking a similar position to the Swedish Government, which had earlier stated it would seek parliamentary approval to reduce its stake in SAS at a "suitable point in time" (Trend/Reuters/AP, 20-Feb-2010). The Norwegian Trade and Industry Ministry expressed a similar opinion to its Swedish and Danish counterparts, stating it would be open to a sale "when the time is right and we can get a good price" (Financial Times, 20-Feb-2010). Denmark, Norway and Sweden have a combined ownership stake of 50% in the struggling carrier.

Danish Government: "If a situation emerged where there would be satisfactory economics in an eventual sale, then that naturally would be considered without bias. The most important goal is that SAS should have the best possibilities to develop itself so that the company can also in the future connect Scandinavia to the rest of the world. We will be pragmatic about how this goal can best be achieved," Claus Hjort Frederiksen, Finance Minister. Source: Trend, 20-Feb-2010.