[3] It is located on the south bank of Lough Foyle, a short distance from the village of Eglinton and 8 mi (13 km) from the city centre.

The airport is currently a base for the Scottish regional airline Loganair, who operate domestic flights to other parts of the UK.

Emerald built a new terminal building and control tower to support services with the first flight to Glasgow operating on 16 September 1967.

Loganair introduced the first scheduled flight between Derry and Glasgow in 1979, a route which was dropped due to rising fuel costs.

1995 saw the arrival of Jersey European Airways who attempted to operate a short-lived shuttle link between Derry and Belfast City Airport.

[citation needed] Operators of Boeing 737 jets were previously limited to 80% capacity as a safety feature due to the short length of the runway.

Other works included the expansion of the apron immediately in front of the control tower which would allow for the parking of several aircraft at any one time.

As a prelude to the expansion at the airport several families were removed from their homes under a Government Compulsory Purchase scheme before the buildings and outbuildings were demolished.

They have claimed that this would cost the airport some £250,000 in annual revenue while the owners, Derry City Council, have countered that the decrease in operational hours was necessary as part of the implementation of the £600,000 budget reduction plan.

He had been tasked with turning the loss-making facility around and has been given just six months to implement savings of £600,000 per annum and increase the number of carriers, destinations, and passengers.

[citation needed] The recently completed runway safety zone extension and apron works have allowed the CAA to lift the capacity restriction on aircraft operating out of the airport.

[citation needed] In April 2009 the council issued tender documents for a multimillion-pound expansion of the terminal to improve passenger flow and meet current EU customs and immigration regulations.

[8] The arrivals hall has recently been improved and tax free shopping, WHSmith and the Amelia Earhart Business lounge in the departure area are open during operational hours.

In October 2021 Ryanair announced their return to the airport with a new service to Manchester operating three times a week, which commenced at the beginning of December 2021.

[16] In September 2023 Loganair announced they would no longer operate scheduled flights between City of Derry and Liverpool, with regular services halting in October 2023, and only select dates between then and January 2024 available for purchase.

In summer 2024, seasonal charters by travel solutions, flew a Faro service operated by BA Cityflyer, using their fleet of Embraer E190 Aircraft.