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| Founded | 16 October 1933 | ||||||
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| Commenced operations | 11 June 1935 | ||||||
| Ceased operations | 8 February 1951 | ||||||
| Hubs | Oslo Airport, Gressholmen (1935–39) Oslo Airport, Fornebu (1939–51) | ||||||
| Secondary hubs | Kristiansand Airport, Kjevik (1946–51) Stavanger Airport, Sola (1946–51) | ||||||
| Alliance | Scandinavian Airlines System | ||||||
| Fleet size | 13 (1951) | ||||||
| Parent company | Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications (50%) | ||||||
| Headquarters | Oslo, Norway | ||||||
| Key people | Bernt Balchen (CEO) | ||||||
Det Norske Luftfartselskap A/S (literally "The Norwegian Aviation Company") or DNL, trading internationally as Norwegian Air Lines,[1] was an airline and flag carrier of Norway. Founded in 1927, it operated domestic and international routes from 1935 to 1941 and from 1946 to 1951. It became one of the three founders of Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) and became one of its three holding companies from 1951, with a 28% stake and listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange. DNL was renamed SAS Norge ASA in 1996 and was merged in 2001 to create the SAS Group.
The company was founded as Det Norske Luftfartselskap Fred. Olsen A/S in 1933, after Fred. Olsen & Co. took over the assets of a failed airline with the same name from 1927. After taking over the incumbent Widerøe the following year, allowing five other shipping companies a partial ownership and changing the company's name to Det Norske Luftfartselskap Fred. Olsen & Bergenske A/S, DNL started domestic seaplane routes based at Oslo Airport, Gressholmen, and later Oslo Airport, Fornebu, using Junkers Ju 52 aircraft. In 1935, DNL was close to starting transatlantic flights in cooperation with Pan Am, but services never commenced despite purchasing a Sikorsky S-43. After the outbreak of World War II, DNL ceased operations from 1941 to 1946.
From then, DNL started international flights using Douglas DC-3 and introduced Short Sandringhams on domestic sea routes. Along with Aerotransport of Sweden and Det Danske Luftfartselskab of Denmark, DNL founded Overseas Scandinavian Airlines System to pool transatlantic flights. In 1948, all of DNL's services were re-branded as SAS and pooled through European Scandinavian Airlines System. The company experienced four fatal accidents.