SAS says to sack 100 pilots after talks collapse

STOCKHOLM Nov 30 (Reuters) - Scandinavian airline SAS (SAS.ST) plans to sack up to 100 pilots after talks with their union failed, a spokesman said. "We were in negotiations with the pilots and the negotiations were not successful," Sture Stolen, head of investors relations at the airline, told Reuters on Monday.

The staff cuts were part of a cost reduction programme and would be enforced "as soon as possible", he said.

The airline, half-owned by Denmark, Norway and Sweden, has struggled with falling passenger loads and has been slashing costs aggressively through its "Core SAS" programme.

Traffic was down 13.5 percent in October year-on-year, it said earlier this month. (Editing by Dan Lalor) ((Stockholm Newsroom, +46-8-700 1017, e-mail: stockholm.newsroom@reuters.com))