< < Back to Start of Article STOCKHOLM More than 50 years after its creation as a pan-Scandinavian airline, SAS said Wednesday it would split into three independent national units in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, and a fourth entity that will handle intercontinental flights. . "We have decided to split the company into three separate legal units, giving the branches in each country far more independence to make decisions without involving the other two," said Hans Ollongren, an SAS spokesman. . Asked whether the split was a first step toward selling off parts of SAS, Ollongren admitted that such a move would be easier with more independent units, but added, "that is certainly not our main priority." Roger EWROPS