[9] Construction began on the airport in February 2022, and was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 30 December 2023, with flight operations beginning from 10 January 2024.

[10][11][12][13] In 2021, the Government of Uttar Pradesh proposed to name of the airport after the Hindu god Rama, the protagonist of the epic Ramayana, who is believed to be born in Ayodhya.

In December 2023, the name was changed after Maharishi Valmiki, the attributed author of Ramayana, to greater represent the Ramayana-based theme of the airport.

[14][15] In 2008, the Government of Uttar Pradesh had issued formal orders allowing the landing and parking of private aircraft on the former Indian Air Force airstrip against a fee.

[19] In 2013, the government approved the transfer of the airstrip at Faizabad to the AAI to be developed as a full-fledged airport, along with three others–Meerut, Moradabad and Saifai, on the instructions of the state cabinet.

[25] The airport was completed and inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 30 December 2023, with flight operations beginning from 10 January 2024, started by IndiGo as the first commercial airline to connect Delhi and Ahmedabad as the initial destinations.

It will have eight aerobridges and an apron suitable for parking of eight Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 type aircraft, both of which will be increased to 16 as part of the planned third phase of the airport's development.

Outside the terminal, there are four parking spaces for vehicles, a service and utility area, a four-lane approach road to the NH-27 that connects to Faizabad and Ayodhya, a fire station, an Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower, a technical block, a fuel farm, will have three medium-scale hotels, four upper-scale hotels among other ancillary and technical facilities.

[11][29] The airport has been designed to portray the local, as well as the state's culture and heritage, in order to make the visitors know about the spiritual, religious and historical influence the city of Ayodhya wields on the Indian society.

Built with red stone, the carved pillars from the entrance to the inside of the terminal provide an excellent mixture of the old temple architecture with modern infrastructure.

The terminal uses clean energy to generate electricity and follows sustainable measures to dispose waste, conserve water, and hence, is an eco-friendly airport.

[32] A 3.2 km (2.0 mi)-long four-lane approach road connects the airport directly with the city premises through NH-27, running towards the western side to Ayodhya.