It is a major gateway that links northern Thailand to the rest of the region and is currently the fourth-busiest airport in the country.

[4] The first scheduled passenger flight to Chiang Mai arrived in 1947, with the foundation of Siamese Airways.

[5] Airports of Thailand expanded the terminal with upgrades in 2014 including expansion of the apron for larger planes, extending operating hours to 24/7 (effective April 2014), and enlarging the international arrival hall and domestic departure hall.

[5] As of 2018, 31 airlines operated at CNX, serving 11 million passengers, 78,210 flights and 14,612 tonnes of cargo.

[6] As a result of the temporary closure of Suvarnabhumi Airport in 2008 due to the protests, Chiang Mai was used as an alternative stopover for China Airlines flights between Taipei and Europe and for Swiss International Air Lines' Singapore-Zurich flights.