The helicopter company Osterman Helicopter i Östersund AB has been retired due to bankruptcy. The company, which has deep historic roots in the Swedish helicopter business, closed its activity last month.

Osterman Helicopter derived from the veteran company Ostermans Aero, which closed its flight department in Gothenburg and opened up for the establishment of Osterman Helicopter back in 1981. The company grew extensively over the years, and it was further developed through the acquisition/partnership with several companies on the way, including Laroy Flyg (1) in 1988, Heliflyg in 2000, HelikopterService in 2002,Jämtlands Aero (2) in 2004 and Skyline Helikopter in 2005. It went through a total renewal process in late-2011, where the company was gradually transitioned into Osterman Helicopter i Östersund AB. Osterman had its main bases in Gothenburg and Östersund, and it operated a fleet of ten helicopters, including four helicopters that had recently been released from a leasing deal with the Swedish Armed Forces. The fleet was reduced a week ago, and just prior to the bankruptcy Osterman operated one Long Ranger, one Bell 212, one UH-1H and one AS350B2.

Three of Osterman’s previous helicopters have been acquired by HeliAir Sweden. HeliAir states that it will increase its activity in Gothenburg by placing four helicopters in the region.

Osterman Helicopter leaves an historic imprint in the Swedish helicopter industry, in pretty much all lines of business. It has gained a truly legendary status over the years, and its name will forever be associated with professional helicopter services, where no task is too big or no load is too heavy.

Reproduced from Nordic Rotors with permission. Copyright and full responsibility for the content of this article remains with Nordic Rotors