This was changed in 1978, when a localizer from runway 31 was also installed. There was a political discussion about Helilift establishing an offshore helicopter terminal at Haugesund Airport, to compete with Helikopter Service which at the time was operating out of Stavanger Airport, Forus. However, the government found that there was no need for such a base. By 1981 all the airlines at the airport were losing money. The third departure to Oslo did not generate sufficient patronage, and after threatening to terminate the extra flight, SAS introduced a surcharge on all Haugesund tickets to covers its NOK 3 million per year deficit on the route. Also Nordsjøfly was struggling, and was bought by Norving in 1981. It made an interlining agreement with KLM which allowed passengers to fly from Haugesund via Stavanger to Amsterdam for the same prices as from Stavanger. Similar agreements were soon struck with other international airlines operating out of Stavanger. After only being allowed to carry a maximum of nine passengers, Norsjøfly was from then allowed to operate the larger 19-passenger Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner. Nordsjøfly operated with a loss every year. The airline was therefore liquidated in 1982 and the assets transferred to Norving and the Haugesund base was taken over by Norving. By then patronage was sufficient that SAS replaced its smaller Douglas DC-9-21s with the larger, 122 passenger DC-9-41s. Braathens SAFE, through its regional affiliate Busy Bee, started operated a route from Stavanger via Haugesund to Bergen in 1984, using a 44-passenger Fokker F-27 in competition with Norving. Statoil contracted Helicopter Service to operate helicopter flights to a platform on Statpipe from Karmøy. SAS introduced a fourth service in 1984, using a F-27. The airport expanded its opening hours from 1985 when a fourth shift was hired. Coast Aero Center established the first scheduled international service in 1986, with a direct service to Aberdeen Airport using a 15-passenger Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante. The route was soon terminated as it used a full crew shift and aircraft to make only one round trip per day. Norving closed its base at Haugesund in November, as it gradually terminated its operations in Southern Norway due to financial difficulties. Coast Aero Center went bankrupt in 1988, but the assets were used to establish a new airline, Coast Air.