Norrlandsflyg was a genuine old helicopter company with its roots in northern Sweden. In 50 years the company transferred from a utility company to a highly sophisticated rescue helicopter operator with bases all over Sweden. Norrlandsflyg operated a large fleet of Sikorsky S-76 helicopters in SAR and EMS services when it was acquired by the Swedish Maritime Administration (Sjöfartsverket) in 2011. The company was transferred into a new state-owned national helicopter operator and given the name SMA Helicopter Rescue. The air ambulance segment was separated from SMA as a private branch, named Norrlandsflyg Ambulans. <b>History</b>Norrlandsflyg was established by the legendary pilot Knut 'Knutte' Hedström as AB Fjällflyg in Gällivare back in 1961. He began with fixed-wing operations in the wilderness but soon began with helicopter operations. The company eventually changed name to Norrlandsflyg. In 1970 Norrlandsflyg obtained its first EMS contract, issued by the National Police. The deal, which covered Norrbotten and Västerbotten, meant that Norrlandsflyg held all its helicopters available to depart for sudden medical calls from their every-day flight operations throughout the mountain world. In 1981 Norrlandsflyg purchased a SA 360C Dauphin. The helicopter became the most advanced EMS helicopter in the country at its time, and it was very popular at the local hospital. In 1991 Norrlandsflyg obtained an EMS contract with Norrbotten’s County Council, which had obtained the responsibility for air ambulances from the National Police. In 1993 Norrlandsflyg bought its first Sikorsky S-76, which was put in service as EMS helicopter in Norrbotten. In 1996 Norrlandsflyg obtained a contract with Uppsala University Hospital for EMS and inter-hospital transports with a Sikorsky S-76. In 2002 the company was awarded the two first civil Search and Rescue contracts in Sweden. Norrlandsflyg placed one Sikorsky S-76 in Sundsvall and one in Visby. In the same year the company obtained an EMS contract in Gothenburg – the first one after the police had cancelled its EMS operations in the region. In 2004 Norrlandsflyg sold its utility work section to Kallax Flyg in order to focus fully in the EMS and SAR business. The deal included four machines and a number of bases in the mountain world. Between the years 2006-2007 the company was awarded SAR contracts at the last three military bases - Stockholm, Gothenburg and Ronneby. In 2008 Knutte and his wife Monica Hedström sold a majority of Norrlandsflyg to Scandinavian Helicopter Invest (SHI). The main office in Gällivare was moved to Gothenburg, and the maintenance base soon followed. Norrlandsflyg lost the EMS contract in Norrbotten/Gällivare in 2010 and left the town, and its former main base, in December the same year. On 26 October 2011 the Swedish Parliament approved the Swedish Maritime Administration's request to purchase Norrlandsflyg in order to ensure an available nationwide search and rescue service, both financially and operationally. On 1 November the Swedish Maritime Administration acquired all the stocks in Norrlandsflyg's parent company Scandinavian Helicopter Invest (SHI). The new helicopter division was named SMA Helicopter Rescue, which became a subsidiary to Sjöfartsverket Holding (administered by the Swedish Maritime Administration). As a consequence of the state owned SMA Helicopter Rescue's full focus in search and rescue operations the private company Norrlandsflyg Ambulans took over the air ambulance service on 1 November 2011. The EMS service consisted of one station (Gothenburg). From late-2011 the remaining parts of Norrlandsflyg had been transformed into SMA Helicopter Rescue.