Sweden to close two search and rescue helicopter bases
The Swedish Maritime Administration (Sjöfartsverket) has announced plans to close two of its five helicopter search and rescue (SAR) bases
The closures are part of a raft of measures aimed at saving the government agency up to SW40 million kr.
At present, the agency provides SAR services from five sites along the coast, at Umeå, Stockholm, Visby, Gothenburg and Ronneby, using a fleet of Leonardo AW139s.
It has not yet specified which bases are due to close.
The Swedish government placed an order for 12 additional UH-60M Black Hawks for use by its armed forces in July last year.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca is a Junior Editor at AirMed&Rescue. He was previously a News and Features Journalist for the rail magazine IRJ until 2021, and studied MA Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. His favourite helicopter is the AW169 – the workhorse of the UK air ambulance sector! He also led the creation of Waypoint: The AirMed&Rescue podcast, serving as its Production Editor and co-host.