[3] Airlift was selected as the original operator of helicopters out of Førde, winning a tender with four contesters.

In addition to offering the lowest price and high quality, they already operated a helicopter base at Førde Airport, Bringeland.

[4] It had a helipad of 20.5 meters (67 ft) diameter, and was able to handle the larger Westland Sea King helicopters.

[6] The former location consisted of sheds and a plastic hangar,[7] unsatisfactory conditions, so work commenced in the late 2000s to build a new base at the hospital.

[7] A major hindrance came in January 2012 when the Directorate for Cultural Heritage listed the Central Block as a representative work for Norwegian hospital architecture of the 1970s.

This hindered the establishment of a skywalk between the planned base and the central block to provide quick access for acute patients.

The directorate stated that the plans would only be permitted if the skywalk was cut off a few meters from the facade, forcing the patients outdoors for the distance.

The base is situated in its own building, a combined hangar, helipad, parking garage and office complex measuring 3,333 square meters (35,880 sq ft).

In addition to housing the helicopter service, it acts as a base for the medical dispatch center and the ambulances.

[10] The facility is owned by Førde Hospital Trust, part of Western Norway Regional Health Authority.