It was mostly used as a layover for aircraft flying between Bardufoss and Værnes Air Station. During this period the airport consisted of an officers' mess, two barracks, three hangars, a fire station, an air traffic control building and some smaller buildings. Some of the wood was used for reconstruction and by 1948 the runway was . After the war there was military agreement that Bardufoss should be the main air station for Northern Norway, and Bodø would not station any aircraft. The air force saw the strategic advantage of a second air station in Northern Norway, although it was at first the civilian needs for an airport that were most interested in an upgrade of Bodø. By 1949, internal notes within the air force were discussing the possibilities of moving the command center for the air force in Northern Norway to Bodø. During 1948, following incidents such as the Czechoslovak coup d'état of 1948, the Berlin Blockade and increased Soviet pressure on Finland, the Norwegian government increased military spending and Norway became a founding member of NATO the following year. Norway thus shifted its military strategy towards holding the country until allied forces could be dispatched. Northern Norway became a central part of this strategy because of NATO's north flank in the Norway–Soviet Union border, and Norway planned to have two fighter squadrons and one reconnaissance squadron in the north. The Ministry of Defense awarded NOK 3.7 million in 1950 to expand Bodø's runway to , with Construction starting in October. The rest of the air station was designed through a main plan which was completed on 30 July 1951. The civilian sector was placed north of the runway, on the town side, while the military sector was placed south. The military expropriated the entire peninsula south of the runway. The location of the airport was at the time controversial mostly because of expropriation of agricultural land. Alternative locations were considered, such as at Straumøya and Fauskemyrene, but Bodø was preferred by civilian authorities because of its proximity to the town. Later, two other major concerns, which were not evident at the time, would arise. Firstly, the air station's occupation of the central location meant that Bodø would spread out west-east, giving a less compact cityscape. Second, introduction of new aircraft would create significant noise pollution. Funding was increased further from 1951, as it was considered as an advance