[1] At first, Peretola was a large field where airplanes took off and landed with no formal direction, but eventually, the Ministry of Aeronautics decided to enlarge and upgrade it.

In 1990, the airport was renamed after Florence native Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian merchant and cartographer.

Since 9 April 1998, AdF has had a global concession to managing the airport's infrastructure, and it has assumed responsibility for maintenance and development.

In July 2000, AdF made its debut on the stock market, and in 2001, the airport was among the first in Europe to obtain UNI EN ISO 9001/2000 certification for the quality of its services.

[citation needed] On 5 December 2012, Vueling announced the opening of a base of operations in Florence, with flights to several destinations in Europe.

As is common at smaller airports, after landing, planes turn around at the end of the runway, then taxi back down to reach the parking area and terminal.

[29] The airport is also connected with the city of Florence by a bus line that runs to and from the central railway station every half-hour, operated by Autolinee Toscane.