SAS announces CFO departure amid coronavirus crisis

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Airline SAS <SAS.ST> said on Monday its Chief Financial Officer Torbjorn Wist will leave the company in September at the latest to take up the top finance position at shipping group Wallenius Wilhelmsen <WALWIL.OL>.

The departure comes as the airline industry has plunged into crisis due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus, with the Scandinavian carrier forced to ground most of its fleet and temporarily lay off 90% of its staff.

"This has not been an easy decision given the current market turmoil, but this is a result of a process that started well before COVID-19 became a global issue," Wist said in a statement.

"Let there be no doubt that my one and only priority in the coming months is to help ensure SAS’ continued role as a critical infrastructure provider in Scandinavia".

SAS said it would immediately start the process of finding a replacement for Wist.

(Reporting by Johannes Hellstrom, editing by Louise Heavens)