The first airfield was a simple wooden runway built in May 1940 by Allied forces during the Norwegian Campaign (8 April–10 June 1940) of World War II.

Upgradation to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) standards started in 1950, and fighters have been stationed at Bodø since 1955.

[4] During the Norwegian Campaign, the German troops were isolated in Narvik and the Allies decided to build an airport in the yet unoccupied Bodø area to allow air raids against German troops in a flanking maneuver in combination with Bardufoss Air Station, located in Troms county.

The need for the airport was both to counteract Allied raids and to allow reinforcements for a planned attack on the Soviet Union.

[8] From January to April 1942 the Luftwaffe dispatched the 7th Squadron of the Jagdgeschwader 5 to Bodø, consisting of fifteen Messerschmitt Bf 109.

From the fall of 1944, Bodø again received an increasing number of aircraft, as Germany moved their fleet northwards following Finnish capitulation.

The Ministry of Defense awarded NOK 3.7 million in 1950 to expand Bodø's runway to 2,700 meters (8,900 ft),[18] with construction starting in October.

Alternative locations were considered such as at Straumøya and Fauskemyrene, but Bodø was preferred by civilian authorities because of its proximity to the town.

First, the air station's occupation of the central location meant that Bodø would spread out west-east, giving a less compact cityscape.

[21] Funding was increased further from 1951, as it was considered as an advance on common alliance infrastructure, resulting in a further NOK 5.5 million for Bodø.

[38] In case a war broke out between NATO and the Soviet Union, the fighter aircraft stationed in Bodø were to support NATO's Atomic Strike Plan, which would see US Strategic Air Command (SAC) bomber aircraft drop nuclear warheads over the base of the Soviet Northern Fleet.

[42] Norway agreed in 1955 that both US and UK reconnaissance flights could operate out of Bodø and other northern airports, given they not violate Soviet air space.

[44][45] The U-2 shoot-down on 1 May 1960, where the aircraft was heading for Bodø,[46] had a severe negative impact on Norway's relations both with the Soviet Union and the United States.

In the aftermath, Soviet First Secretary Nikita Khrushchev threatened to bomb Bodø Main Air Station as he regarded it as a strategic target.

Minister of Defense Gudmund Harlem withdrew on 18 February 1961, largely because of his lack of control over Colonel Vilhelm Evang at Bodø and his liberal permissions to US reconnaissance missions.

Evang on his side had given permission largely because of misleading information from the Central Intelligence Agency regarding the nature of their missions.

[52] The newly created squadron received its first Bell UH-1 helicopter in late 1966 and the first de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter in mid 1967.

[53] The central command for Northern Norway was unified at Bodin from 1967, and moved into a new operations' center at Reita outside Bodø in 1971.

Most exercises were carried out during the fall and winter and was important for the air station to practice reception of allied reinforcements and flexible use of area.

[59] From the 1970s, NATO became increasingly concerned about protecting grounded aircraft for nuclear warfare and sixteen underground hangars were built between 1973 and 1975.

[60] In an effort to rationalize operations and renew the fighter inventory, Norway took delivery of twenty-two used CF-104 Starfighters from the Royal Canadian Air Force.

[62] Bodø became one of nine co-located operating bases (COB), following an agreement between the Norwegian Armed Forces and the USAF in May 1974.

This involved permanent storage of ammunition, parts and equipment, as well as a tighter organizational cooperation, with the USAF.

[63] The Soviet Union built a steadily increasing military presence on the Kola Peninsula during the 1970s, leading to both a Norwegian and a NATO interest in strengthening Bodø.

[71] With an increasing allied presence on the northern flank, Bodø was set for a large NATO-financed upgrade starting in late 1989.

[77] Following the 2008 decision to purchase the F-35 Lightning II, the Norwegian Armed Forces carried out an analysis of its air base structure.

The military wanted to reduce the number of bases for the F-35 to one, with Bardufoss, Bodø, Evenes and Ørland being the prime candidates.

Ørland, with an advanced base at Evenes, was selected because of its location centrally in Norway and its existing squadron of F-16s.

At the same time, Bodø lacked proper training areas and would give less flexibility in a forty-year perspective.

[81][82] In SAR missions, the squadron operates under the management of the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre of Northern Norway located in downtown Bodø.