STOCKHOLM: Scandinavian airline SAS expects a “busy summer season”, it said on Thursday as it reported a reduced second-quarter pretax loss.

The airline, which sought bankruptcy protection last July, posted a pretax loss of 1.41 billion Swedish crowns ($138.9 million) in the three months to April 30, against a 1.57 billion loss a year earlier.

Sydbank analyst Jacob Pedersen said he had expected a loss of about 1.8 billion crowns.

“We are pleased to see that the overall underlying demand for travel was healthy during the quarter despite the (wider) economic uncertainties,” CEO Anko van der Werff said in a statement The Nordic airline, like others in Europe’s aviation sector, has struggled to contend with post-pandemic challenges including labour issues and high costs that have prevented a swift exit from its bankruptcy proceedings. However, SAS and other airlines have registered better than expected bookings for the coming months seasons as growing numbers of people travel again after prolonged COVID-19 disruption.