Norwegian Air Lines
Norwegian flag carrier that operated scheduled services before becoming a founding owner of Scandinavian Airlines System.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Norwegian Air Lines, commonly identified by the initials DNL, was an early Norwegian airline and the country's principal flag carrier before the creation of Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS). Its corporate history began with a company registered in 1927, while the operating airline that became historically important was reorganized in the early 1930s under the Fred. Olsen shipping group. Scheduled airline operations began in 1935, initially using seaplanes on domestic coastal routes and later expanding into international services. The airline emerged during a period when Norway was developing a national civil-aviation system. The Norwegian government was considering how to combine domestic connectivity, postal transportation, airport construction and international links. DNL sought to operate routes from Oslo along the coast and to continental Europe, while also working with foreign carriers and regional Norwegian shipping interests. Fred. Olsen & Co. established a reorganized DNL in 1933, and Bergenske Dampskibsselskap together with several other shipping companies subsequently became important shareholders. The company also acquired a controlling interest in Widerøe, although Widerøe retained a separate operating identity in regional and general-aviation work. DNL's first scheduled services used aircraft suited to Norway's geography, including Junkers seaplanes and a wet-leased Junkers Ju 52. Its network connected Oslo with Bergen and other coastal destinations, and it later added northern Norwegian sectors and selected international routes. The company represented or cooperated with a number of foreign airlines and participated in route pools involving Scandinavian and European partners. It explored ambitious transatlantic plans with Pan American Airways and later considered alternative North Atlantic routes through Ireland, Iceland and Newfoundland, but these projects did not become sustained DNL services. The German invasion of Norway in April 1940 disrupted the airline. International and most southern operations ended, aircraft were requisitioned or otherwise affected by wartime conditions, and a limited northern service eventually ceased. DNL resumed operations after the war with Douglas DC-3 aircraft on international routes and Short Sandringham flying boats on domestic sea routes. In the postwar period, it worked with Denmark's Det Danske Luftfartselskab and Sweden's Aerotransport to pool Scandinavian long-haul operations. DNL was one of the three founding airlines behind Scandinavian Airlines System. From 1948, its services were progressively branded and pooled through SAS, and in 1951 DNL's operating activities were absorbed into the unified system. DNL continued as one of SAS's three holding companies, retaining a 28 percent stake and a presence on the Oslo Stock Exchange. The company was renamed SAS Norge ASA in 1996 and ultimately merged into the SAS Group in 2001. It is therefore a historical predecessor of SAS rather than the modern Norwegian Air Shuttle brand.
History
The first company using the DNL name was registered in Oslo on 4 May 1927 with modest share capital. It sought a role in the developing civil-aviation infrastructure around Oslo, including ground services associated with Gressholmen Airport. Government investigations in the early 1930s concluded that Norway needed a stronger national aviation organization and improved land airports. A new DNL was established by Fred. Olsen & Co. in 1933 after the shipping company acquired the assets of the earlier enterprise. The reorganized airline was led by Hjalmar Riiser-Larsen and was intended to combine private shipping expertise with public support for national routes. In 1934, Bergenske Dampskibsselskap joined the ownership structure, producing the name Det Norske Luftfartselskap Fred. Olsen og Bergenske A/S. Four additional regional shipping companies later joined the arrangement. DNL acquired 51 percent of Widerøe, which continued to undertake air-taxi, training, general-aviation and limited postal work. In April 1935, DNL received concessions for a coastal seaplane service from Oslo toward Tromsø and for an international route from Oslo through Kristiansand to Amsterdam. The company purchased a Junkers W 34 and temporarily leased a Junkers Ju 52 from Lufthansa to begin service. Scheduled operations started in June 1935. The initial network linked Oslo with major southern and western coastal cities, including Bergen, Stavanger and Haugesund, and carried both passengers and mail. DNL expanded in 1936 and 1937. It added routes in northern Norway, established a night postal service toward Gothenburg and briefly operated between Oslo and Stockholm. It also joined route pools with Danish, Swedish and German partners. Oslo's Fornebu airport and Kristiansand's Kjevik airport opened in 1939, allowing DNL to shift some activity from seaplane infrastructure toward land-based operations. A Douglas DC-2 leased from KLM was used on the planned Oslo–Kristiansand–Amsterdam service. The company repeatedly investigated transatlantic aviation. In 1936 it purchased the Sikorsky S-43 flying boat Valkyrien in anticipation of a Pan Am cooperation agreement. Pan Am canceled the proposed arrangement before launch, and DNL subsequently considered routes through Ireland and later through Iceland and Newfoundland. None of these plans developed into a lasting independent intercontinental DNL network. The German invasion in 1940 caused a near-total interruption. International routes and southern Norwegian operations ceased, aircraft were requisitioned or transferred, and a limited Trondheim–Tromsø–Kirkenes service ended in 1941. DNL's wartime position was complicated by distrust from both German authorities and the Norwegian government-in-exile. After liberation, questions about the future ownership and organization of Norwegian civil aviation were considered alongside broader international reconstruction. DNL resumed scheduled flying in 1946. It used Douglas DC-3 aircraft for international services and Short Sandringham flying boats on domestic sea routes. Together with Aerotransport of Sweden and Det Danske Luftfartselskab of Denmark, it helped create a cooperative Scandinavian transatlantic organization. This initiative developed into Scandinavian Airlines System, whose operations increasingly carried the DNL, DDL and ABA services under a common identity. By 1951, DNL's operating business had been absorbed into SAS, while the Norwegian company remained as a holding entity with a 28 percent interest. It was renamed SAS Norge ASA in 1996 and merged into the SAS Group in 2001. The historical airline is also associated with four fatal accidents, but the supplied reference does not provide enough detail here to list them individually without risking unsupported claims.
- 2001
Merged into the SAS Group
[1]The separate Norwegian holding company was merged into the SAS Group.
- 1996
Corporate name changes to SAS Norge ASA
[1]The DNL holding company was renamed SAS Norge ASA.
- 1951
Operating airline absorbed into SAS
[1]DNL became one of SAS's three holding companies after its operating activities were integrated into the new system.
- 1948
Services rebranded through SAS cooperation
[1]DNL services were progressively presented under the Scandinavian Airlines System arrangement.
- 1946
Postwar operations resume
[1]DNL restarted scheduled flying with Douglas DC-3 aircraft and Short Sandringham flying boats.
- 1940
Wartime disruption
[1]The invasion of Norway halted most DNL operations and severely disrupted its aircraft and personnel.
- 1936
Pan Am transatlantic plan pursued
[1]DNL negotiated a proposed Norway–United States service and acquired a Sikorsky S-43 for the project.
- 1935
Scheduled services commence
[1]DNL launched domestic coastal seaplane services and an international route plan toward Amsterdam.
- 1934
Bergenske joins the ownership structure
[1]Bergenske Dampskibsselskap became a partner, and the company adopted a longer corporate name reflecting both shipping groups.
- 1933
Fred. Olsen reorganizes DNL
[1]Fred. Olsen & Co. established a new DNL after taking over the assets of the earlier airline.
Products and positioning
Norwegian national flag carrier and pioneering Scandinavian airline
Passenger air transport · 1935
Domestic coastal seaplane services
DNL's original scheduled offering connected Oslo with cities along Norway's southern, western and northern coasts. The service used seaplanes and was designed around Norway's long coastline and limited land-airport infrastructure. Passenger transportation was supplemented by the movement of mail.
International passenger air transport · 1935
International European services
The airline operated or planned international links from Oslo toward Sweden, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands. Its Oslo–Kristiansand–Amsterdam service was arranged in cooperation with KLM, while other routes were conducted through European pooling agreements.
Passenger air transport · 1946
Postwar SAS network services
After World War II, DNL operated international routes with Douglas DC-3 aircraft and participated in the cooperative Scandinavian network that became SAS. These services gradually ceased to be an independently marketed DNL product as operations were pooled and branded through SAS.
Brand decisions
1951
Transfer operating activities to SASM&ABackground
The Scandinavian airlines had established a common operating structure and brand for pooled services.
Action taken
DNL merged its operating activities into SAS while retaining a 28 percent holding-company interest.
Aftermath
DNL ceased to function as an independent scheduled airline but continued as a corporate owner within the SAS structure until later renaming and merger.
DNL stake in SAS. 28% (From 1951)
1946
Resume service through Scandinavian cooperationStrategyBackground
Postwar reconstruction created pressure for coordinated Scandinavian international aviation rather than three small airlines competing independently on long-haul routes.
Action taken
DNL resumed flying and joined Aerotransport and Det Danske Luftfartselskab in pooling international and transatlantic operations.
Aftermath
The cooperation developed into SAS, and DNL's operating identity was ultimately absorbed into that system.
1936
Pursue a North Atlantic partnership with Pan AmStrategyBackground
DNL viewed Norway's northern location as advantageous for a possible Europe–North America route.
Action taken
It negotiated with Pan American Airways and purchased the Sikorsky S-43 Valkyrien for the proposed service.
Aftermath
Pan Am canceled the agreement before inauguration, and DNL's aircraft was instead used on domestic routes. Later North Atlantic proposals also failed to become sustained independent operations.
1933
Rebuild DNL around a national airline modelStrategyBackground
Norway was seeking a stronger national civil-aviation organization, while private shipping companies were interested in combining transport expertise with state-supported air routes.
Action taken
Fred. Olsen & Co. established a reorganized DNL, recruited aviation leadership and pursued concessions for domestic and European routes.
Aftermath
The reorganization created the corporate platform that began scheduled service in 1935 and later became a founding component of SAS.
Recent events
- 2001
SAS Group merger ends the DNL corporate entity[1]
M&A
SAS Norge ASA was merged into the SAS Group, ending the separate corporate existence associated with DNL.
- 1996
DNL is renamed SAS Norge ASA[1]
Other
The historical DNL holding company adopted the name SAS Norge ASA as part of the corporate structure surrounding SAS.
- 1951
DNL becomes part of Scandinavian Airlines System[1]
M&A
DNL's operating activities were incorporated into SAS, while the Norwegian company became one of SAS's three holding companies with a 28 percent stake.
- 1940
World War II suspends most DNL operations[1]
Other
The German invasion of Norway ended DNL's international and southern operations; a reduced northern service continued temporarily before also stopping.
- 1936
DNL explores a transatlantic partnership with Pan Am[1]
Other
The airline negotiated with Pan American Airways for a North Atlantic service linking Norway and the United States, but Pan Am later withdrew from the proposed arrangement.
- 1935
Norwegian Air Lines begins scheduled operations[1]
Product launch
DNL received government authorization and began scheduled seaplane services on Norwegian coastal routes, supported by state and postal grants.
Sources1 sources
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