Røst Airport opened on 1 June 1986, initially with Widerøe operating de Havilland Canada Twin Otters.

The routes were operated two to three times per week as a charter service, with subsidies from the municipalities of Værøy and Røst.

The helicopters doubled as serving for search and rescue duty; in case they were needed for the latter flights to Værøy and Røst were cancelled.

The regional airports in Lofoten and Vesterålen opened in 1972, with the Værøy and Røst service being taken over by Widerøe on 1 September 1973.

Subsidies of 1.9 million Norwegian krone (NOK) was granted for the route in 1973, and the service transported 5,359 passengers (from both Røst and Værøy).

[9] Plans for an airport with short take-off and landing flights was launched by the government in December 1983.

[15] After the airport opened, services started with Widerøe-operated twenty-seat de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otters.

In addition, there were two weekly trips that connected Værøy to Leknes Airport before returning to Bodø.

[20] The choice of the operator was criticized by the Røst Municipal Council following the incident, stated that the ministry had prioritized price over safety.

The council stated that they did not feel that Kato Air provided the same service as Widerøe and that the aircraft were a safety hazard.

[21] In February 2006, there was a wave of cancellations by Kato Air, due to technical problems with both the airline's aircraft.

[23] The Civil Aviation Authority of Norway withdrew Kato Air's concession in 2008 due to lack on maintenance.