It was activated on 1 January 1941 at Hickam Field, Hawaii, the squadron was assigned to Hawaiian (later, Seventh) Air Force, flying the Douglas C-33 (DC-2).

During the course of World War II, the squadron would conduct aerial transportation within the Hawaiian Islands and to forward bases in the Pacific.

On 15 August, the 19th became assigned to VI Air Service Area Command and the following year, on 15 December 1945, to AAF, Middle Pacific.

However, the squadron deployed to Wiesbaden Air Base in Germany in June 1948 in response to the urgent need for C-54 transports due to the Berlin Airlift.

Its mission was to provide intra-theater airlift for high-ranking PACAF and civilian officials and small mission–essential equipment, flying C-12 Huron twin-engine prop planes, and in 1985, upgrading to the C-21 Learjet.

The 19th AS was transferred to the 60th Operations Group, Travis AFB, California on 1 October 1993, in a name-only re-designation of the 7th Airlift Squadron.