Making connections

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As Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) launches its second season of flights to Dubai, UAE general manager Anna Lyczak Czepukojc discusses the company’s latest developments.

Can you give some background on Scandinavian Airlines?

SAS is the airline of Denmark, Sweden and Norway and we have been in the market for almost 70 years - established in 1946. We are focusing on the Scandinavian and European market but we do have other connections to destinations across the world [such as the UAE] which we would like to develop further.

What is your role within the company?

I am the general manager for the UAE and I've had this role since September. It's a temporary position based on our operations team, so I'll be here until April next year. I have been with SAS for 14 years now. I am responsible for the Polish market, mainly as the managing agent and corporate accounts in the area. I also went to the development academy for management training with international colleagues. I am used to focusing on business and customer services.

What are the latest developments in the Middle East?

The second season of SAS Airlines flights on the Dubai to Copenhagen route began on October 30. We initially started flight connections last year. It was primarily developed because of tourism, using Dubai as a gateway. Last season we found out this is an interesting market for us to develop and that is what we will continue to do.

We want to use Copenhagen as a gateway for people travelling from Scandinavia. We focus here on Scandinavian companies, as there are so many expats here. We also see some potential and numerous business opportunities in both the business and leisure markets.

We would really like to work on promoting Scandinavia here in the UAE and our focus is on getting more traffic for the country. We are also partnering with Emirates. We have been working on prices for our customers with the company and we also have plans to connect to other places in the region. We feel there is a good mix of business and leisure travellers.

How do you promote Scandinavia in the UAE?

Normally we have the Swedish, Norwegian and Denmark tourist boards promoting the country in different parts of the world but they are not based here in the UAE. What we are doing is getting in contact with tour operators here and big holiday offices to try and support them with leads in our market. We try to find unique and creative ways of promoting the countries and to show the interest in the area.

As an airline it is difficult to do yourself, we need some partnership.

Are you planning to introduce any more routes in the region?

We have a strategic partner in Dnata and we work together with them and through them in the UAE to develop our business in the Middle East. At the moment we do not have any plans to fly to Egypt or Jordan or anywhere else. However, we do have an offline service which means we don't connect but we have travel partners that Scandinavian customers can buy tickets with. It makes it easier for travellers from northern Europe to connect to other parts of the Middle East.

How do you feel the company has been affected by the credit crunch?

I would say there is a definite slowdown in economy which results in less interest or willingness to invest in travelling and expensive holidays. But according to the last information we received about Scandinavian travellers, they are still interested and willing to travel.

They may not spend to the same extent as they used to but in my opinion the UAE is a market that is full of potential for Scandinavia. I don't think this economic environment will influence the situation over here too much.

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