The airport mainly caters to the city of Bahawalpur, however, the national carrier decided to launch international flights to the Middle East in July 2009.

[6] On 21 January 2007, phase two of the airport was inaugurated and Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, opened the facility and viewed the new amenities including the departures and arrivals halls.

A parking lot has been built outside the building after converting the surrounding sandy area into lush green lawns.

The airport extension project is being supervised by the Dubai Civil Aviation Department as well as the Defence Ministry of Pakistan.

The recent extension of the airport was set to streamline air cargo operations and boost agricultural exports from the Punjab province.