SAS has declined to comment on renewed suggestions that its state owners are looking to sell the carrier.
Shares in the Scandinavian airline jumped by more than 11% in Stockholm yesterday (Tuesday) amid the growing speculation.
This follows a similar rise in its share price on Monday after a report said Air France-KLM, Lufthansa and British Airways were all interested in SAS – jointly half owned by Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
Yesterday’s gains were driven by comments by Norwegian trade and industry minister Trond Giske setting out the conditions Oslo would want met for the sale of its 14.3% shareholding.
“Any deal (on the airline) must aim to maintain jobs, it must also ensure there is a good service for Norway and third, we want a good price for our shares,” he reportedly said.
Giske added that his government was not currently in talks on a sale with either Stockholm, which holds 21.4% in SAS, or Copenhagen, which also owns 14.3%.
SAS shares soared before Christmas on rumours that Lufthansa, already an SAS partner on some routes, could make an offer for the airline as early as the first quarter of 2011.
The Swedish government said last February that it was interested in reducing its holding in SAS at an “opportune moment” and Denmark and Norway followed suit.
SAS has been hard-hit by the rise of low-cost airline Norwegian and by plunging passenger traffic numbers in the wake of the global economic crisis.
An SAS spokesman said the company would not comment on market rumours.