Bonaire's first airport was located near Tra'i Montaña near Subi Blanku and crossed the current road from Kralendijk to Rincon.

The intention was to make a longer runway, but it proved impossible to construct more than 475 meters because the eastern portion of the land was very low.

Part of the field had to be modified, in particular where aircraft met or left the ground during landing and take-off.

American soldiers arrived on Bonaire in the second half of 1943 and their commander stated that a new airport had to be built.

Hotels and interested parties on the island continued to push for a further extension of the runway so that charter flights from the United States were able to land here.

[3] The Dutch national carrier, KLM, used the airport to refuel planes en route from Amsterdam to Ecuador and Peru, using MD-11 and Boeing 747 between 1997 and 2011.

The first Bonaire-Miami flight took place on April 19, 1980, which was permitted due to the runway extension of that year.

Since November 2005, visitors and tourists arriving at Bonaire are welcomed to a vibrant new Business and Tourism Showcase.

A variety of colorful murals, vivid flat-panel displays, and high-profile sponsored windsurfing sails will showcase all that the island of Bonaire has to offer.

The larger ramp is used for wide bodied aircraft such as KLM and Arkefly, but is also used by United, Delta and Insel Air when vacant.

The management of the airport is currently working on the apron to allow two wide-bodied aircraft to park alongside each other, with the use of pushback cars, when ready for departure.

At the beginning of the runway lies the General Aviation ramp, where mostly private aircraft are located.

Both BonAeroClub and Falki Aviation Center offers sightseeing opportunities and also flight lessons with their fleets of Cessna 172's.

Most of this money will be spent on paving, installing the automatic parking system, landscaping, and lighting.

More flexibility is obtained while the processing capacity of passengers at the check-in counters is increased and made more efficient.

[10] The management of the airport is drawing up a master plan to comply with international requirements.

[11] Work on the new Rescue & Fire Fighting Station began on October 9, 2014, and was officially introduced in 2016, while the new control tower was finalized in 2017.

Although work is being done on the departure hall only, plans include expansion of the arrival as well, depending on the airport's ability to be able to pay for the expenses.

The following airlines operate regular scheduled and seasonal services to and from Bonaire:[14] This is a table of annual statistics at the airport since 2000.

The Aruba kitchen uses ready-made imported frozen hot meals and locally made salads and appetizers.

Every other week jet fuel is delivered to the island via a tanker from their own refinery at Aruba.

[32] The airport is categorized as Fire Category 9 and on-site equipment includes four crashtenders and one rapid-intervention unit.