The site of the airport began operations in the 1940s as Sasa Landing Field with a donation of land in barangay Sasa, located in Buhangin district of Davao City, by Don Francisco Bangoy, the then-current patriarch of an influential family that founded and settled in Davao alongside Don Jose Uyanguren.

At the time it began operation, the airport merely consisted of a 1,200-meter (3,900 ft) unpaved grass runway and quonset huts serving as terminal buildings.

[4] A new terminal designed by Filipino architect Leandro Locsin, with a capacity of one million passengers, started construction in 1976 and was completed in 1980.

The project, in addition to runway expansions, was funded during the term of then-Congressman Manuel Garcia, whose congressional district covers the airport perimeter.

The first scheduled international passenger service started on April 29, 1992, with the inauguration of Bouraq Airlines flights to Manado, Indonesia.

In planning since 1992, construction began in 2000 and was subsequently inaugurated on December 2, 2003, with a capacity double that of the old airport terminal.

[2] The modernization and upgrading of the airport facilities aim to make Davao as a hub for tourism and foreign investment in the region.

As part of the modernization of the airport, the runway was once again extended to the current 3,000 meters (9,800 ft) in 2001 to accommodate future international flights.

[11] In June 2015, the Mindanao Development Authority announced its plans to turn the 1980–2003 airport terminal into a trade and cultural museum.

[15] Udenna Corporation submitted an unsolicited proposal in 2018 and received the original proponent status by the Department of Transportation in that year.

As of January 27, 2025, the Davao International Airport Authority (DIAA) informed the proponent that it will proceed with the detailed evaluation of the proposal.

It is fully computerized, more secure and has more commercial spaces for concessionaires at approximately 9,000 square meters (97,000 sq ft) of gross leasable area.

The check-in counters are equipped with electronic weighing scales and conveyors and its baggage handling system is also computerized.

The installation of a new instrument landing system (ILS) for both Runways 05 and 23 upgraded its compliance to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) operating category-Precision Approach Category 1.