The airport is located in the village of Kiby, 4 kilometers (2.5 mi) east of the town of Vadsø along the Varangerfjorden.

Services are provided by Widerøe using Dash 8-100 aircraft to other communities in Finnmark and to Tromsø International Airport.

Vadsø was during the late 1930s and from the mid-1940s served with a seaplane route operated by Widerøe and Norwegian Air Lines.

It was originally served both by Widerøe and by Norving, the latter to Båtsfjord Airport and providing air ambulance services.

The airport received a major upgrade, with a hangar and larger terminal, ahead of the 1984 introduction of the de Havilland Canada Dash 7.

[3] The route was interrupted by World War II, but resumed in 1946, when it was flown by Norwegian Air Lines using the Junkers Ju 52.

The water aerodrome in Vadsø was simple and consisted of a designated landing area and a buoy, with passengers having to be boated out to the aircraft.

Vadsø was selected as one of five initial locations in northern Troms and Finnmark which received regional airports.

The government opted to selected Widerøe and their Twin Otters, citing the need for a single operator for all subsidized regional routes in the country.

[13] Widerøe introduced the de Havilland Canada Dash 7 in 1984, which required an upgrade to the airport.

[4] The state and the Civil Aviation Administration took over ownership and operations of the airport from 1 January 1997, in exchange for NOK 4.1 million being paid to Vadsø Municipality.

[4] The airport is located at Kiby, 4 kilometers (2.5 mi) east of the town center of Vadsø.

Should the airport be expanded in the future a new terminal is needed, since it is located too close to the runway according to safety rules.

[21] An alternative is to build a new airport somewhere between Vadsø and Vardø which would serve both towns (the distance to a halfway point between the cities is 37 km (23 mi)).