It is named after Euclides Pinto Martins (1892–1924), a Ceará-born aviator who in 1922 was one of the pioneers of the air link between New York City and Rio de Janeiro.

During World War II, the airport was an important Allied base supporting South Atlantic operations.

[8] On March 16, 2017, the concession of the airport was auctioned to the consortium Fraport AG of Frankfurt, Germany, for R$425 million for use for 30 years.

Among the improvements established in the contract signed on July 28, 2017, was to renew and complete the investments of Infraero related to the passenger terminal, and the lengthening of the runway.

Fraport launched the idea of an airport real estate project to call attention to investments in huge warehouses, shopping centers, and hotels, but nothing has been constructed until 2024.