SAS A330 Turns Back to Newark, Leaving Copenhagen Passengers Stranded Overnight

October 25, 2026 — An SAS Airbus A330 bound for Copenhagen turned back about two hours into the flight and landed at Newark. Passengers were stranded overnight and their bags stayed on the plane.

What happened

SAS flight SK916, an A330-300 registered LN-RKR, left New York JFK for Copenhagen at 7:24 p.m. on Friday, October 23, 29 minutes late. About two hours out, the crew turned around. SAS told Danish broadcaster TV 2 the cause was a possible technical fault and that the aircraft would be inspected at Newark. It has not said what the fault was. The jet landed at Newark at 10:58 p.m., with fire trucks and ambulances reportedly standing by.

On the ground

Passengers waited about an hour at baggage claim, then learned their checked bags could not be unloaded.
SAS emailed passengers asking them to book their own hotels, with reimbursement of up to €250 per room.
Passengers said updates were slow, and one said his booking disappeared from the SAS app.
SAS planned to rebook passengers on the next available flights to Copenhagen. When all of them would arrive was not given (TBA).

Flight-tracking data shows LN-RKR flew to Copenhagen the next day as SK910. The result of the inspection has not been published.

What it means for non-revs

Displaced passengers fill seats. When a widebody is out of service, its passengers are rebooked onto the next flights. Expect SAS New York–Copenhagen flights in the days after a disruption like this to be tight for standby travelers.
If you are in the system on a diverted flight, you are usually last in line for rebooking and may not get hotel reimbursement. Carry enough money and a backup plan for an overnight stop on long-haul trips.
Bring essentials in your carry-on. These passengers could not get their checked bags.