Scandinavian airline SAS said Wednesday that higher than normal sick leave among staff, due to Covid and associated recommendations, had contributed to a wave of flight cancellations.

"We have employees who are either ill, have symptoms or have someone in their household who is ill, and are therefore staying home given current recommendations," said SAS spokeswoman Freja Annamatz.

"Just like other businesses, we are experiencing increased sick leave, which is part of the reason that we have had to cancel flights."

Technical issues in some cases and a strike in Frankfurt had also compounded the issue, she said.

The Nordic carrier had to cancel nine flights out of Stockholm's Arlanda airport on Wednesday, and some 30 flights worldwide the day before.

But she added that, during one of busiest times of the year with around 600 flights a day, the vast majority of planes were still departing as planned.