Editing Molde Airport (section)

===Early operational history===
[[File:Molde Airport.jpg|thumb]]
The airport was built to handle one Fokker F-27 Friendship at a time. These aircraft were used by Braathens SAFE on both the coastal routes and the services to the capital.<ref name=h51>Hovde: 51</ref> The 1972 summer routes involved three daily services to [[Oslo Airport, Fornebu]], including one with a stop-over in Ålesund. Some of the larger routes instead were flown using the [[Fokker F-28 Fellowship]].<ref>Hovde: 53</ref> There were also three daily services on the coastal route. In cases when Ålesund Airport, Vigra was closed, Braathens would land their larger 124-seat [[Boeing 737|Boeing 737-200]]s at Årø, making the terminal feel cramped.<ref name=h51 />

Braathens SAFE were awarded the routes to the three primary airports in Møre og Romsdal as part of an arrangement where they split the primary market between themselves and [[Scandinavian Airlines System]]. Ålesund had by far the most traffic, about three times that of Molde and Kristiansund. Because they had to operate to three airports in close vicinity, they were unable to operate profitably from any of them. The services were cross-subsidized by the airline being granted monopolies on other routes with higher ridership and profitable operations.<ref name=h81>Hovde: 81</ref>

Molde Aero Klubb was established on 6 October 1972. It initially had limited activity and did not have its own aircraft until November 1984. However, many of its members owned their own aircraft. Møre Flyklubb based its [[Piper Cherokee]]s at Årø.<ref name=h51 /> In the first full year of operation—1973—the airport handled 70,227 passengers.<ref>Hovde: 60</ref> Construction of oil platforms was carried out in [[Åndalsnes]] during the 1970s, leadingto frequent use of the airport by business jets. To bypass two ferry rides, a seaplane base was built at Årø to allow for connecting flights to the yard.<ref>Hovde: 61</ref>

Increased ridership caused Braathens SAFE to replace all its F-27 turboprops with larger F-28 turbojets out of Molde from 1 June 1976. F-28s had until then only been used on Oslo-bound flights via Ålesund to Oslo, as well as on some coastal services. Travel time on direct Oslo flights was cut by 25 minutes.<ref>Hovde: 69</ref> During the late 1970s Braathens SAFE introduced the Boeing 737 on the Oslo flights.<ref name=h76>Hovde: 76</ref> Meanwhile, a court case was raised by thirty-four neighbors who demanded compensation due to noise pollution. Nineteen of these were awarded compensation by the court in 1998.<ref>Hovde: 70</ref>

Ownership and operation of the airport passed from the municipality to the state, through the Civil Aviation Administration, in 1978. This led to more manning of the facility. The airport increased from three to four shifts—increasing its opening hours—and also increased the number of people per shift from three to four. New ground vehicles were also bought.<ref>Hovde: 75</ref> Ridership fell the first years after the opening, and not until 90,063 passengers passed through the airport in 1978 did patronage exceed the 1973 figures.<ref name=h76 /> The first major project initiated by the CAA was the construction of a maintenance building. The municipality had let snowplows and other equipment stay parked outdoors, causing them to dilapidate into a state of disrepair. The {{convert|720|m2|sp=us|adj=on}} structure opened in 1980. The apron for general aviation was expanded simultaneously.<ref name=h77>Hovde: 77</ref>

The CAA's next investment was a new passenger terminal. It included amenities such as a [[baggage carousel]]&mdash;allowing passengers for the first time to pick up their baggage indoors.<ref>Hovde: 78</ref> With 106,823 passengers in 1982, the airport exceeded the six-digit mark for the first time.<ref name=h81 /> A parachute club, Molde Fallskjermklubb, was founded in 1985.<ref>Hovde: 85</ref>

[[Busy Bee]] started flights to Molde on 3 March 1980, using a F-27 to fly post to Oslo. Passengers were introduced on these flights from 1985.<ref name=h77 /> Braathens SAFE sold their F-28s in 1986. The West Coast route saw only an average 32 passengers to and from Bergen and Stavanger, and 23 to Kristiansund per day. Too small for Boeings, Braathens subcontracted the operations to is regional affiliate, Busy Bee, from March 1986.<ref>Hovde: 83</ref> Patronage to Oslo increased sufficiently that Braathens the same year eliminated all stop-overs in Ålesund. The first proposals for charter flights were launched by Gullivers Reisebyrå in January 1986. They intended to fly a connecting flight to [[Oslo Airport, Gardermoen]] and from there onwards to the Mediterranean. Although a contract was signed with Busy Bee, noting came of the plans due to limited interest. Widerøe withdrew from services at Molde in 1987.<ref>Hovde: 87</ref>

An airport coach service was introduced on 4 January 1988. The same year the CAA announced plans to build a new terminal and operations building. Traffic grew rapidly during the 1980s and hit 173,530 passengers that year.<ref>Hovde: 88</ref> Meanwhile, there was a discussion if there was need for both Årø and Kvernberget, and both airports were proposed closed. However, the move was never official from either the CAA nor any political agencies and was confined to speculations in the press.<ref name=h89 /> The background for was the 1991 opening of the [[Kristiansund Mainland Connection|Kristiansand Fixed Link]], which removed the ferry between the two towns.<ref>Hovde: 91</ref>

The airport was partially flooded on 19 January 1989 when Årlelva breached its banks.<ref name=h89>Hovde: 89</ref> The riverbed was subsequently moved and areas was freed up to allow for more parking, both on the air and land side.<ref>Hovde: 93</ref> The airport partook in a major military exercise in 1991.<ref>Hovde: 94</ref> The discussion regarding the airport's future was sealed on 6 April 1992 when the CAA announced the construction of a new terminal. Work commenced later that year and Braathens SAFE followed up with the construction of a freight terminal. The CAA invested NOK&nbsp;54 million, of which 30 million was for the terminal.<ref>Hovde: 99</ref> The airport was closed for a week in September 1993 to re-asphalt the runway and move systems to the new terminal, which opened on 13 September. It was designed to handle 300,000 passengers per year and had three gates. In addition to larger arrival and departure halls, offices were provided for car rental companies. After the official opening took place on 14 October, the old terminal building was demolished to make way for more parking.<ref name=h104>Hovde: 104</ref>