The first airline to operate to Båtsfjord was Varangfly, later renamed Norving, who flew seaplane taxi and ambulance flights in the early 1960s. Construction of an airfield in Båtsfjorddalen was started by the aviation club Båtsfjord Flyklubb in 1972 and completed in May 1973. It consisted of an 800-meter (2,600 ft) gravel runway and was served with regular flights by Norving. The municipality took over ownership of the airport in 1976. Norving remained the sole operator until 1990, when the routes were taken over by Widerøe using the Twin Otter.

The Ministry of Transport and Communications announced in February 1993 that they were considering taking over ownership and operations of the airport through the Civil Aviation Administration (CAA, later renamed Avinor). In December, Widerøe articulated that Båtsfjord Airport did not meet the demands for future operation as it lacked proper navigational aids and an asphalt runway. Widerøe stated that with the introduction of the Dash 8, which would be phased in between 1993 and 1995, they would no longer be able to serve the airport. The CAA stated, instead, that the new airport should be built, estimated to cost between 70 and 80 million Norwegian krone (NOK). The main reason was that the former airport was poorly located in relation to the terrain, being located in a valley. In April 1994 the ministry stated that they were considering closing many of the smallest regional airports, including Båtsfjord.

In April 1995, when Parliament decided to nationalize twenty-six regional airports owned by their respective municipalities, they also debated a proposal to build a new airport in Båtsfjord. At the time Widerøe was obliged to operate routes to the airport until 31 March 1997. In December 1995, Widerøe took delivery of their fifteenth Dash 8 and thus their only need for a Twin Otter was to serve Båtsfjord. From 1994 to 1997, the cost estimates for the new airport increased from NOK 95 to 125 million. By June 1998, Parliament approved additional funding which brought the cost to NOK 178 million, including a new county road for NOK 8 million. The airport opened on 9 September 1999. From the opening Widerøe used the Twin Otter until 1 April 2000, when the route was taken over by larger Dash 8 aircraft. Airport security was introduced on 1 January 2005.

Avinor sees a problem in getting new aircraft of the size of the Dash 8-100 which can use the 800 meter runways, so they plan to use smaller planes with 19 seats for these small airports when the Dash 8-100 retire before 2030.