First airport Military considerations led to a proposed airport at Lakselv. Despite a Norwegian neutrality policy, there was fear that Norway could be occupied by foreign powers who wanted to take advantage of the country's strategic position. The military, therefore, wanted to construct airfields throughout the country to increase the air force's mobility. Especially Finnmark was regarded as a key location, given the increased Soviet militarization on the
Kola Peninsula. Increased military funding was granted beginning in 1937 and the following year. The result was a triangular runway built at Banak.
German Occupation In May 1940, the airport was occupied by the
Royal Air Force, before the Luftwaffe took over control. During the World War II
German occupation of Norway, Banak was taken over by the
Luftwaffe. They were planning an attack on the Soviet Union from Finnmark and decided to designate Banak as their main air base in Northern Norway. By September 1940, the main runway was extended to with a wooden surface. In addition, three hangars were built, allowing the air base to house
bombers. The main function of the air station was to attack the
Arctic convoys. By 1943 there were two parallel runways, both long. The air base mainly operated Torpedo bombing missions on allied convoys in and out from Russia. The air station was blasted in October 1944 during
Operation Nordlicht, the German retreat from Finnmark. The
Royal Norwegian Air Force took control over the airfield in 1945 and started reconstruction. In 1945, the Air Force operated scheduled flights from
Bardufoss Air Station via Banak to
Kirkenes Airport, Høybuktmoen; at Bardufoss a corresponding flight was offered to Oslo. The service lasted only the one season. Later the runway was used to serve
air ambulances. During the late 1940s, part of the wooden runway was removed and used for other construction projects. Norway's entry into the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1949 had a dramatic effect on military strategy and Banak. Norwegian authorities and NATO regarded Finnmark as a
tripwire. It was to be sacrificed and used to delay attacking forces during a Soviet invasion. The airfield was closed in 1952, but the runway remained, with a short section of an unmaintained wooden runway and otherwise consisting of a grass strip. It was occasionally used by small aircraft.
Re-establishment Interest from military leaders for an airport at Banak returned in 1955. For the air force the main concern was that they could not reach the easternmost parts of Norway from
Bodø Main Air Station. This resulted in several Soviet infringements of Norwegian air space. Alternative locations were considered, such as
Kautokeino Municipality, where a radar had been built. NATO supported a reconstruction of Banak, partially due to an increased focus on
flanking maneuver strategies, and also to serve as a part of the nuclear program. NATO was ready to provide funding in 1957, but the Norwegian authorities wanted to delay its construction, citing lack of personnel to man the station and that it would not be usable in times of war. The government decided in 1957 to not allow nuclear warheads to be stored in Norway during peacetime, thus eliminating NATO's strategic need for Banak. The airport was therefore removed from the investment program. By 1959 the United States was concerned that the militarization of the Kola Peninsula would become the prime point of a Soviet attack on North America. A new discussion about location arose, with Alta and Kautokeino as the main alternatives. Banak was estimated to cost 4.9 million
Norwegian krone (NOK), NOK 2.8 million less than Alta; it had better instrument landing capabilities and weather conditions; it allowed for a longer runway. The main advantage of Alta was that it would be better suited for civilian traffic. The government and
Parliament approved construction of Banak in 1959 on condition that it receive NATO funding. Construction was estimated at NOK 8.9 million, which would include a runway, but lack of funding meant the airport would not meet all of NATO's air base standards. The project was approved by NATO on 1 June 1960 and by Parliament on 5 August.
de Havilland Canada Dash 8-100 Construction was carried out simultaneously at Banak,
Alta Airport and Kirkenes Airport in
Høybuktmoen, which combined would give Finnmark three primary airports. All three airports opened on 4 May 1963, while
Tromsø Airport opened the following year. Services were at first operated by
Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS). At first the airline used 56-passenger
Convair CV-440 Metropolitan aircraft, which flew flights south to Oslo in combination with flights to Alta and Kirkenes—from 1964 also to Tromsø. The general route scheme of flying multi-legged flights from Oslo to Finnmark would remain until 1990.
Operational history To allow increased military use of the air station, the airport received an upgrade in 1967 and 1968 costing NOK 17.8 million. This included a extension of the runway, a
taxiway and various military hangars and structures. From 7 April 1969, SAS introduced the 85-passenger
Douglas DC-9-21 jetliner on the Finnmark service; the last Metropolitan flew on 1 April 1970. SAS' traffic increased throughout the 1970s, resulting in SAS gradually increasing the frequency of its services, and later also using larger DC-9s. The
McDonnell Douglas MD-80 was first flown on the Finnmark route on 11 July 1986. Lakselv Airport had been proposed by among others
Finnmark County Council as the hub, but SAS and other found Alta better suited. For Banak this meant that the Oslo services were terminated and smaller
Fokker 50 aircraft were flown to Alta and Tromsø, and passengers could continue to Oslo with direct flights from there.
Honningsvåg Airport, Valan in
Nordkapp Municipality was already using the name, but the latter had a short runway only suitable for regional aircraft, and Banak is the closest airport serving
jetliners. The Civil Aviation Administration followed up by investing NOK 21 million, expanding the terminal to allow international passengers, and Stolt Seafarm started the export of fish via the airport. From 1997,
LTU started charter services from
Düsseldorf to Lakselv, and
Condor operated flights from
Barcelona. In June 2001,
Finnair started a scheduled service from Lakselv via
Rovaniemi to
Helsinki three times a week. North Cape Golf Club, located immediately next to the airport, opened in 2001. All SAS Commuter services in Northern Norway were taken over by Widerøe in October 2002. Norwegian Air Shuttle took over the routes to Alta and Tromsø from 1 April 2003, but already at the start of operations announced they would retire their fleet of Fokker 50 aircraft, resign from short-haul routes and become a low-cost airline. Widerøe won the subsequent tender and started operating to Lakselv from 1 January 2004.
SAS Braathens introduced low-frequency summer services from Oslo beginning in 2006, which lasted for three seasons. SAS cited too low ridership from foreign tourists as the reason for the closure. Widerøe took over
SAS Ground Services' operations at Banak in 2008. Norwegian introduced a new summer seasonal route from Oslo to Lakselv from 2011. Outgoing charter services started in 2012 to
Burgas and
Antalya. Scandinavian Airlines operated one charter flight from
Tokyo and back in 2011. ==Facilities==