The conglomerate was founded in 1951 as a merger between the three Scandinavian flag carriers Aerotransport (ABA—Sweden), Det Danske Luftfartselskab (DDL—Denmark), and Det Norske Luftfartselskap (DNL—Norway), after the three had been cooperating on international routes since 1946.
O conglomerado fundouse en 1951 como unha fusión entre as tres aeroliñas nacionais escandinavas, Aerotransport (ABA), Det Danske Luftfartselskab (DDL) e Det Norske Luftfartselskap (DNL), despois de que as tres viñesen cooperando en rutas internacionais dende 1946.