Albany International Airport serves as the major air center for the Capital Region, Northeastern New York, and Western New England.

In 1908 the airstrip was on a former polo field on Loudonville Road, 3 miles (4.8 km) north of the city in the town of Colonie.

The airport was named after Teddy Roosevelt's son, Quentin, a fighter pilot during World War I who perished while in air combat.

A $10,000 prize was established for sustained flight between Albany and New York City; Glenn Curtiss achieved this on May 29, 1910.

Mayor John Boyd Thacher II once said "a city without the foresight to build an airport for the new traffic may soon be left behind in the race for competition".

The early Albany Airport was often closed and threatened with a closure that prompted repeated improvements in the late 1930s and 1940s.

The project was completed in 2000 and included the addition of two new dual jet bridges allowing passengers to board and deplane from front and rear doors of the aircraft.

This includes a new 1,000 car parking garage, which will open in March 2020; new solar panels, escalators, energy efficient taxiway lighting, concessions are also being installed.

In September 2022, the upgrades were finished and the airport secured a large amount of funding to begin a new project.

This project would extend the bridge that goes from the north garage to the main terminal, adding a new feel to walking through or driving under it.

Between 1946 and 1961, American Airlines, TWA and Colonial/Eastern flew to Albany, but nonstop flights did not travel farther than New York City and Buffalo until 1967.

The first jets were American and Mohawk British Aircraft Corporation BAC One-Elevens in late 1966; concurrently, runway 1/19 was extended south sometime in 1966–67, from 5,000–6,000 feet (1,500–1,800 m).

During the 1990s, Albany and other Upstate markets enjoyed little low-fare service, and the legacy carriers mostly kept fares high.

At its peak, CommutAir served Allentown, Bangor, Binghamton, Boston, Buffalo, Burlington, Elmira, Portland, Harrisburg, Nantucket, Wilkes-Barre, LaGuardia, Islip, Hartford, White Plains, Manchester, Providence, Syracuse, Rochester, Saranac Lake, Plattsburgh, Montréal, Ottawa.

As of December 2023, CommuteAir operates several daily flights from Albany to its hub at Washington Dulles International Airport for United Express.

Level 1 includes the main check-in area, baggage claim, car rental, and taxi services.

[15] Albany International Airport has direct access to I-87 and New York State Route 7 via Albany-Shaker Road, a 3.3-mile (5.3 km), four-lane boulevard.

On August 14, 2018, New York state officials announced[31] the new I-87 Exit 3 which will provide direct access to Albany International Airport.

The airport is served by major car rental companies Hertz, Enterprise, Budget, and National as well as by Uber, Lyft, local taxi and limousine services.

A pedestrian and bicycle path is also accessible via the new sidewalk at the corner of Albany Shaker Road and Route 155.

There is also a small viewing area and park at the corner of Albany Shaker road and the exit 3 ramp off I-87.