 The plans eventually called for six airports in northern Troms og Finnmark, a plan passed by Parliament in 1972.Both Widerøe and Norving applied to operate the subsidized routes in Finnmark, and the contract was awarded to Widerøe, which operated the subsidized routes in the rest of the country.The airport opened on 1 August 1974 with Hammerfest Municipality as the owner and operator.