It consisted of two wooden runways, 1,000 and 850 meters (3,280 and 2,790 ft) long, respectively, in addition to wharfs for a water aerodrome.

Throughout the Second World War the airport served fighter aircraft; these were used to attack the Arctic convoys, defend German vessels from Royal Air Force raids, as well as provide an airborne defense against British bomber missions against Laksevåg.

[1] The main concern with Herdla was the lack of a road access and the necessity of crossing both Herdlesundet and Byfjorden.

However, a radio beacon was built at Herdla in 1938 to aid the coastal service provided by Norwegian Air Lines.

In 1939 enthusiasts brought a sailplane to Herdla in an attempt to use it for flight, but were hindered by strong winds.

Two RAF squadrons of Blackburn Skuas flew from RNAS Hatston on Orkney the following day, successfully sinking the German cruiser Königsberg in Bergen.

Admiral Otto von Schrader was concerned about the lack of German air support in the area.

His only option was using Sola Air Station outside Stavanger, which provided insufficient response times.

[4] The Kriegsmarine considered four suitable sites: Herdla, Flesland, the disused harness racing track at Nesttun and Haukåsmyrene in Åsane.

However, on 12 May a German Heinkel He 111 bomber heading to Sola landed on the fields on Herdla after it had run into difficulties.

[7] The first aircraft stationed at Herdla was a flight of four Messerschmitt Bf 109 of Jagdgeschwader 4 (JG 4), named Bereitschaftsschwarm Herdle.

Herdla was initially a difficult airport to operate out of in part due to the short runway.

This was followed up with dispatching several Kriegsmarine ships to Northern Norway, including the battleship Tirpitz, to counteract the Arctic convoys, creating a buzz of activity for Herdla.

[18] In July Luftwaffe instead decided to station the new Focke-Wulf Fw 190 at Herdla, replacing the Messerschmitts.

In December the operations center burned down after a pilot, drunk from attending a party, took off and crashed.

[19] On 24 July 1943 a major raid with 84 United States Army Air Forces aircraft bombed the U-boat pens at Laksevåg.

Convoys therefore increasingly operated at night, often hugging the fjords during the daytime where the landscape made tactical bombing difficult.

The short range of the Herdla-based aircraft was a challenge for the Luftwaffe, who in January 1944 therefore decided to again station Bf 110s at Herdla.

As of May 1944 the aircraft stationed at Herdla were six Bf 110, three Fieseler Storch, one Focke-Wulf Fw 58 and a Junkers W 34.

[21] A major bombing raid towards Laksevåg was carried out by 140 Avro Lancaster and Handley Page Halifax bombers on 4 October 1944.

The number of skirmishes between British and German forces along the West Coast increased in this period, and the Luftwaffe concentrated its aircraft matériel in Norway to said area.

[23] At the time of the end of World War II in Europe on 8 May 1945, there were twenty-one Fw 28s, one Bf 110 and two or three Storchs at Herdla.

[25] The Royal Norwegian Air Force took control over the airport and stationed ex-German Storchs there until late 1946.

Bergen Municipality was sufficiently convinced of Herdla's suitability that they bought fast ferries to operate a shuttle service.

[27] The Ministry of Transport and Communications, Norwegian Air Lines and other authorities inspected Herdla on 7 January 1947.

Sandviken was at the time used for routes, but was replaced by a new water aerodrome, Bergen Airport, Hjellestad, on 23 August 1948.

[32] Alternatives were launched by two competing airlines: Braathens SAFE proposed a minor upgrade to Herdla which would allow them to operate with their de Havilland Heron aircraft.

Widerøe on their side proposed using their Consolidated PBY Catalina flying boats, but these proved too expensive.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) granted funding for seven air stations in Norway in 1952, but these did not include Flesland.

[33] By then both military and ground transport concerns had made Flesland a favorite and funding was secured in 1952.