With support from the ADAC, the ANWB (Royal Dutch Touring Club) launched a pilot project on May 1, 1995 in cooperation with the VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam (now Amsterdam UMC). The medical crew was provided by the hospital, a MBB Bö 105 helicopter and pilots were contracted from KLM-ERA Helicopters, and funding and logistics were arranged by the ANWB. This marked the birth of the first civilian trauma helicopter in the Netherlands, aptly named Lifeliner 1. To manage this new operation, a dedicated subsidiary was established: ANWB Medical Air Assistance, or ANWB MAA. In 1997, a second MBB Bö 105 was stationed at Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam. This aircraft was named Lifeliner 2.