[3] Camarillo Airport was established in 1942 when the U.S. Public Roads Administration acquired 100 acres (40 ha) of farmland to develop a landing strip for light planes.

In the years following the closure of Oxnard AFB in January 1970, the Ventura County government actively pursued the acquisition of the former military base property from the Department of Defense for commercial airport use.

This initiative ran into public opposition, opposed primarily by local residents concerned about the noise of growing commercial traffic.

For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2020 the airport had 108,566 aircraft operations, an average of 297 per day: 94% general aviation, 2% air taxi and 3% military.

The Southern California Wing of the Commemorative Air Force[2] and its museum are located to the west of the Waypoint Cafe in three large hangars.

The unit features a Cadet Program which introduces kids and young adults to the aviation and aerospace sectors, and provides them scholarship opportunities for flight training.

During the Air Show, the Ventura County Department of Airports puts a high regard on safety, and hasn't seen a single accident in over 40 years.