The foundation carries out charitable work, including providing additional funding for all helicopter ambulances in Norway to increase their medical equipment.

It also funds research within critical emergency medicine and operates a service to fly its members home in case of illness.

Established in 1977 by Jens Moe, operations out of Lørenskog Heliport, Central Hospital started the following year.

A government commission which published its results in 1977 considered the possibility for a helicopter-based air ambulance service.

Since the late 1960s he had been working for an improved ambulance service, which he wanted manned with anesthesiologists or anesthesia nurses.

[3] Norsk Luftambulanse AS was incorporated on 6 November 1977, originally with Moe, Fred Øistein Andersen and Ingvar Vilfladt as shareholders.

They decided to follow the example of the German Björn-Steiger-Stiftung and name the foundation after a patient who probably would have lived with quicker response times.

[5] Initially the foundation started fund-raising to run a one-year trial with a helicopter based near Oslo.

Moe and Andersen held a meeting with Minister of Social Affairs Ruth Ryste.

A major concern was that the service would be provided in Eastern Norway, the most densely populated part of the country.

It gradually developed more as an advisory call center, focusing on giving members advise either before travel or after incidents had occurred.

This resulted in Akershus Central Hospital (SiA, today Ahus) being selected as the initial base.

Also Endre Bolsø, Østgaards' stepfather and chairman of the board, criticized the lack of financial control.

They carried out 216 missions, of which the commission found that five instances where the air ambulance had been decisive to rescue the person's life and avoid permanent injury.

They concluded that the helicopter was profitable for society, but did not find it to be optimal use of limited resources in the health sector.

In addition to Lørenskog and Stavanger, new bases would be established in Tromsø, Brønnøysund, Trondheim, Ålesund, Bergen and Dombås.

[30] In addition to keeping its operations in Lørenskog and Stavanger, NLA was awarded the contract for Trondheim, Bergen and Dombås.

[31] Trondheim was well covered by the 330 Squadron from Ørland Main Air Station, and therefore there been a debate if another helicopter would be cost-efficient.

[35] The helicopters would on occasion land on a lot at the hospital, although the physician had to claim necessity as the site lacked certification.

NLA established a Northern Norway operations central at Widerøe's offices at Bodø Airport.

[41] Due to a strenuous cooperation with Air Express, NLA decided to establish a fixed-wing division in 1989.

This included taking over the two aircraft at Kirkenes and the jet used for international flights at Oslo Airport, Fornebu.

[46] The Easter bases spurred interest amongst locals in the interior valleys of Buskerud, Oppdal, and Telemark to receive a permanent helicopter ambulance service.

[47] However, this resulted in a series of political initiatives from the area and when Parliament voted over the budget, grants had been allocated for Ål Heliport.

[56] NLA saw it as a strategic move to expand its operations both geographically, as well as making them able to enter the fixed-wing market.

[58] Central Hålogaland was the most densely populated district of Norway lacking a helicopter ambulance service.

The National Air Ambulance Service therefore issued a tender in 2014 to establish a base at Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes.

The vehicles are used when the anesthesiologists are needed at accidents near the heliport, in which road transport is faster or more convenient than the helicopter.

[64] Members of the foundation are entitled advise from NLA's Global Medical Services, situated at Ullevål University Hospital.

Granted that the member has valid travel insurance, NLA may under given circumstances dispatch a nurse to aid the patient.