No military aircraft have been permanently stationed at Evenes. Operational history Nordtrafikk started an airport coach service from Sortland in 1990. Estimates showed that it captured 4,300 annual passengers which otherwise would have used Stokmarknes Airport, Skagen. SAS reorganized its operations in Northern Norway from 1990 and Harstad/Narvik became one of four airports to receive direct services to Oslo. Previously these sometimes made intermediate stops at Trondheim. Services to Bodø, Tromsø and Trondheim were transferred to the newly established SAS Commuter. The airline market in Norway was deregulated on 1 April 1994. The same day Braathens SAFE started two daily services from Evenes to Oslo. However, the airline terminated its direct service to Bergen, instead making passengers transfer at Trondheim Airport, Værnes. At the same time Widerøe's route Andenes–Harstad/Narvik–Narvik–Bodø terminated its stops at Harstad/Narvik. Kato Air was established in 1995 with Evenes as its base, initially offering general aviation services. Weekly flights with fresh fish to Japan started in the mid-1990s. Kato Air started flights from Harstad/Narvik to Bodø and Tromsø on 1 January 1999, but the route failed to attract sufficient patronage and was terminated before the end of the year. After the 2001 purchase of Braathens by SAS Group, the latter terminated its flights to Harstad/Narvik from 2 April 2002. Flights to Oslo were taken over by Braathens, while SAS Commuter's flights to Tromsø, Bodø and Trondheim were taken over by Widerøe. Norwegian Air Shuttle started flights to Harstad/Narvik from Oslo on 5 May 2003. SAS and Braathens merged in 2004, creating SAS Braathens. The Lofoten Fixed Link opened on 1 December 2007, abolishing the need for a ferry between the airport and Lofoten. The driving distance to Svolvær—typically regarded as the starting point for the Lofoten archipelago—was reduced to and two and a half hours. Subsequently, the airport started marketing itself internationally as Lofoten International Airport. The initiative was welcomed by the tourist industry in Lofoten and Vesterålen, as Evenes is the only primary airport serving the area. Local politicians in Lofoten opposed the name, stating that it threatened the regional Leknes Airport and Svolvær Airport, Helle. Kato Air terminated operations in 2008, following the grounding of its aircraft after the Civil Aviation Authority of Norway closed its maintenance division. Parliament decided in June 2012 to order the new Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighters, with delivery scheduled to start in 2016. The aircraft will be stationed