Construction started in February 1962 and cost NOK 3.2 million. The runway was completed by the fall of that year, but other parts of the construction were delayed. By late April 1963, the airport was lacking fire fighting equipment and ground crew had still not received sufficient training. However, the issues were resolved, allowing the airport to open on schedule on 4 May 1963. Lakselv and Kirkenes Airport also opened the same day, while Tromsø Airport opened the following year. Several important facilities were missing from Alta Airport when it opened; the control tower and the passenger terminal were not completed until 1964, so at first a shed was used as terminal.