From 1996, Ryum and 25 other regional airports were taken over by the state and the Civil Aviation Administration (later renamed Avinor). The airport had 17,000 passengers in 1999. Four years after the nationalization, the CAA proposed that Ryum and certain other regional airport be closed in an effort to reduce costs, but this was disapproved by the government. The airport received a renewed certification by the Civil Aviation Authority in 2001, which in addition to new runway lighting required the airport to have a rescue boat. The ministry started a process in 2001 to consider using smaller aircraft than the 37-seat Dash 8 aircraft. The reason was that there were on average only 17 passengers per flight from Rørvik and Namsos Airport, Høknesøra combined. Airport security was introduced on 1 January 2005. Since 2010, Nord-Trøndelag County Municipality has been pressing for an extension of the runway to and construction of a larger hangar.