Its origins date to 1916 when it was used by the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps as a military airfield during the Pancho Villa Expedition.

[citation needed] During the Mexican Revolution, hundreds of Pancho Villa's horsemen crossed the United States border and raided Columbus, New Mexico on 9 March 1916.

Two days later it arrived in Columbus with eight Curtiss JN-3 aircraft, 11 pilots and 82 enlisted men and established an airfield to the southeast of the town.

As the soldiers pushed south, hoping to encircle Villa's forces, the 1st Aero Squadron was ordered to Casas Grandes, Mexico, 90 miles from the U.S. border.

During the last few days of March, the squadron's planes flew approximately 20 missions with messages for the various columns of Pershing's command.

The airmen complained so bitterly about their new planes that the N-8s were quickly withdrawn from the border and sent to Rockwell Field, San Diego, California, where they were used for training and experimentation.

Twelve R-2s were delivered to the squadron in May, but the planes, which had been very hastily constructed, were missing vital spare parts and had faulty wiring and leaky fuel tanks.

Although the 1st Aero Squadron remained at Columbus until August 1917 when it was ordered to France after the United States' entry into World War I.

When the Border Patrol operation ended in June 1921, all airfields except Biggs Field in El Paso were closed and most units were reassigned to other stations.

The airport's operations ceased abruptly with the arrest of the notorious "Columbus Air Force" drug-running gang by the DEA in the late 1970s.