The airport was constructed in 1918 for the Royal Netherlands Navy, whose primary base was and still is located in Den Helder.

A seaplane base already existed nearby on the south side of Texel however the navy required an airport for conventional aircraft as well.

[3] The base came under German control during the Second World War and was renamed Fliegerhorst De Kooy.

In the 1980s, the need for offshore helicopter services for oilrigs in the North Sea resulted in the military sharing the base with civilian users.

[3] The oil fields in the North Sea will eventually be depleted and when that happens the airport would lose most of its helicopter movements and thus alternative markets are being looked at, such as business and holiday flights.