This helicopter left the Hughes factory back in August 1979 as N779FA. The Swedish Linköping-based company Heliflyg Nordic AB imported the helicopter to the country in late-1984, but sold it to a company in Western Germany in September 1985 (reg. D-HERD). It was operated by Deutscher Helikopter Dienst, based at Ochtendung Heliport, for many years but the registration was later cancelled.

Malmskogens Aerocenter purchased the airframe in early-2004 and brought it to Sweden. The machine went through a total make-over and became as good as new when it was ready. The maintenance is carried out in the company's hangar in Linköping. In fact the helicopter was once based in these specific facilities when it was owned by Heliflyg Nordic AB back in the 80's.

SE-HNO was purchased by the large helicopter company HeliAir Sweden in October of 2010. It was a part of a batch of three Hughes 500 helicopters (SE-HNO, SE-JMO and SE-JMR) acquired from Malmskogens Aerocenter the same month. The deal made HeliAir the largest 500 operator in Sweden.

SE-HNO was sold to Finland together with SE-JMR in May 2012. SE-JMR (now OH-HNP) was lost in a mechanical accident in January 2013, but SE-HNO (now OH-HNO) was intensively used for aerial sawing operations.

OH-HNO was badly damaged in a fire in Italy in the spring of 2016.