During World War II it was upgraded by the Luftwaffe to a 930-meter (3,050 ft) concrete runway and it served as a strategic airfield during the occupation of Norway, mostly for a stopovers.

[1] With the break-out of World War II the airport was used by the Norwegian Army Air Service as a stop-over for flights heading to Northern Norway.

[2] After the German forces took control of the area in 1940 they immediately started construction of a wooden runway.

[3] Throughout the war the airport saw daily landings of bombers in transit between Southern and Northern Norway.

With the assistance of the aviation club in Bodø, Hattfjelldal flyklubb was able to establish pilot's training for the first time in 1962.

The club crashed their Auster in Rana Municipality on 11 March 1963 and after that bought a Piper Super Cub, which could be equipped with wheels, skis and floats.