STOCKHOLM, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) is set to cancel around 4,000 flights this summer, citing staff shortages and delayed deliveries of aircraft, Swedish financial daily Dagens Industri (DI) reported on Tuesday.

       The staff shortages are a result of the COVID-19 pandemic since around 5,000 employees were laid off as demand for international and domestic flights plummeted, DI reported.

       Karin Nyman from Scandinavian Airlines said that most canceled flights will be rescheduled for the same day, to avoid leaving passengers stranded.

       The news about this summer's cancellations came less than three months after the airline announced it was in financial trouble.

       An interim financial report released in late February showed the company's earnings before tax stood at a negative 2.6 billion Swedish crowns (about 260 million U.S. dollars) for the period November 2021-January 2022. Compared with the same period in 2019 -- before the pandemic struck -- total revenues were down 42 percent.

       SAS, therefore, announced it would "aggressively pursue reducing costs" by 7.5 billion Swedish crowns annually, by adjusting its fleet and product offerings, among other things. (1 U.S. dollar = 10.06 Swedish crowns)