The airline was established in 1983 with a share capital of NOK 50,000, In November 1983, they announced to the authorities and the general public plans to establish a fleet of four DHC-6/300 Twin Otters, for the application of dispersant on oil spills at sea as part of the national oil spill protection system, as well as providing an airborne radar surveillance and positioning system. The government was initially favorable to the concept, particularly as an element in improving oil spill protection and response at sea, in conjunction with permitting the oil industry to commence exploration north of the
62nd parallel, but unfortunately government and departmental politics and the oil companies' unwillingness to contribute to the system, led to the company's demise. The company aimed to have two aircraft operative in June 1984, and be fully operational with 35 to 40 employees and four aircraft by 1985, when all-year
oil drilling would start in the
Norwegian Sea. Use of aircraft for oil spill reduction was at the time established in the United Kingdom (Harvest Air Ltd.), and Norsk Forurensningskontroll aimed to create a similar preparedness for Norway in cooperation with the
Norwegian Pollution Control Authority. The cost of the four aircraft was stipulated to approximately NOK 35 million. Operation started in May 1984 with an aircraft on dry lease from Widerøe (LN-BNS), which was also used as system development platform. The airline stated that they estimated having 30 to 50 operations per year. During the show NFK was contracted to Esso UK, for participation in a major exercise in Southampton later the same year. The idea of having an oil spill services of this type was eventually abandoned by the authorities and by the oil industry, and instead NFK started using their aircraft for various charter purposes, such as bird counting for universities and parachuting. In 1986, the company gained a contract with the French government for supplying a French–Canadian semi-military female expedition, aiming to traverse the polar basin from the northernmost tip of Svalbard to the North Pole on skis. The aircraft was based in
Svalbard, and a number of other scientific and exploration expeditions were supported, including electronic mapping of the headrock underneath glaciers, under a contract for the
Scott Polar Research Institute at the
University Cambridge, financed by
BP. ==Organization and aircraft==