SAS Scandinavian Airlines (SK, Copenhagen Kastrup) is reportedly considering starting direct Stavanger to Houston Intercontinental flights as result of oil industry demand. Speaking in San Francisco during the airline's recent inauguration ceremonies for its new Copenhagen Kastrup-San Francisco route, SAS CEO Rickard Gustafson said the origin of flights to Houston would "naturally" have to be Stavanger, the main base for offshore oil operations in the North Sea, given the strong presence of Norwegian oil companies A.P. Moller - Maersk, Statoil ASA and others in the area. SAS has said that with the high profile nature of the route, it would consider using a narrow-body aircraft, Airbus A320 or Boeing 737 configured for long distance flights, as opposed to its A330-300 and A340-300 fleets. A decision on the route is likely due before the summer. Should Houston flights begin, that would bring the total number of North American cities SAS serves to five following Chicago O'Hare, New York Newark, Washington Dulles and now San Francisco.