[4][7] The airport offers international flights to destinations in Europe, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent.

It is connected by the elevated Air-Rail Link with Birmingham International railway station on the West Coast Main Line.

While Elmdon was considered to be an impressive and appropriate site for the airport, further progress was delayed due to spending cutbacks that had been initiated as a consequence of the Great Depression.

Prior to any major construction decisions being taken, members of the committee visited various successful airports around Europe in 1935, including Amsterdam, Berlin, Lyon, Paris, Brussels and London.

During 1936, a private bill presented by the Birmingham Corporation was passed through Parliament, which authorised the acquisition of further land as well as the diversion of various roads and footpaths to permit the airport's development.

Shortly following the bill's passing, various agencies, including the City Engineer and Surveyor, the Public Works Department and a firm of aeronautical consultants, including Norman and Dawbarn, commenced work on preparing the ground, designing both the terminal and hangar buildings, and planning out the airport's detailed layout.

[9] In October of that year, various contractors were appointed to construct various elements of the airport's buildings, including its elaborate terminal.

[9] Construction work proceeded at a rapid pace; on 1 May 1939, the airport had been completed to such a degree that it was ready to handle traffic.

[9] On 8 July 1939, the Duchess of Kent, Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, accompanied by the Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, officiated at the opening of Elmdon Airport.

[12] Large numbers of Avro Lancaster and Stirling bombers were manufactured at the Austin Aero Company's shadow factory at Cofton Hackett, but were unable to take off from the short runways at Longbridge; thus, they were transported by road to RAF Elmdon, their wings being removed beforehand and re-attached after arrival.

During 1960, the City of Birmingham resumed responsibility for the airport's operation again, ending central government control.

[12] Furthermore, work to extend the airport's main runway to 7,400 feet (1.4 miles) was undertaken between 1967 and 1970, which permitted the launch of new services using turboprop and jet-powered airliners.

[15] Following a year of testing and trial use, the Birmingham Airport Maglev was opened to great fanfare during April 1984.

[16] However, during 1995, the Maglev rail link was discontinued after 11 years; the closure has been attributed to the system's unreliability, it having suffered from frequent breakdowns.

[17] In 2003, a replacement cable-hauled system, the Air-Rail Link Cable Liner people mover, was opened, which reused the track and much of the existing infrastructure.

Plans for a second runway (a third when demand requires) on the other side of the M42 and a new terminal complex and business park have been published, and they could help to create around 250,000 jobs.

It had been used less often due to its short length, noise impact, and its inconvenient position crossing the main runway, making it uneconomic to continue operation.

[22] In the same month, plans for the extension of the airport runway and the construction of a new air traffic control tower were submitted to Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council.

[27] The new logo, interlocking circles in shades of blue, and slogan, "Hello World", were designed to reflect the airport's new positioning as a global travel hub.

[31] Plans for the extension of the airport's runway, and the construction of the new air traffic control tower, were submitted to Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council in January 2008, and approved in March 2009.

[35][36] In May 2014, the 400-metre runway extension was officially opened;[32] the full length was first used on 22 July 2014, when China Southern Airlines operated its first charter between Birmingham and Beijing.

[32] The Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, a Canadian institutional investor, increased its stake in the airport to 48.25% in early 2015.

[41][42] On 13 January 2023, Emirates announced that they will return to flying the iconic Airbus A380 on their daily flights to Birmingham Airport from 1 July 2023.

[43] Previously, Emirates had used the Airbus A380 on their flights to Birmingham since 2016; however, they resumed using the Boeing 777 during the COVID-19 pandemic due to less demand.

[131] As part of Phase 1 of the High Speed 2 rail link, a new railway station called Birmingham Interchange will be built to serve both the airport and the National Exhibition Centre.

The station will be built on the far side of the M42 motorway and connect to the airport using a "rapid transit people mover".