[3] It is strategically situated on a 5,994,577-square-meter (599.4577 hectares)[4] plot of high-altitude, government-owned and formerly leased pasture land in Barangay Fatima approximately 14 kilometers (8.7 mi) away from the central business district of General Santos.

It was rumored that the construction of the airport was part of a forward strategy of the US Military forces in the Philippine Islands in an, accordingly, apparent attempt to reestablish their presence in Southeast Asia.

As before there were no direct flights going to and from the capital of Manila to General Santos as PAL could not utilize its wider body and long range aircraft to safely land and take off in the city's old and smaller Buayan Airport.

Philippine Airlines commenced regular thrice weekly direct flights to and from Manila using a bigger and wider Airbus A300B4 aircraft.

And four months after its launch, a daily service was in effect in December 1997 while maintaining its existing regular frequencies to and from Iloilo and Cebu cities using smaller Fokker 50 aircraft.

The airline's initiative to commence a direct flight to and from the capital has helped pave the way to continually increase not only the air passenger traffic coming in and out of city's own airport, but also air cargo traffic, which is indicative of the city's vibrant tuna export industry and fast growing economy in general.

Aboard PAL's Airbus A340 aircraft, the president and his party landed in General Santos International Airport directly from Bangkok, Thailand.

In November 2003, international flights to and from Manado, Indonesia were also briefly operational on a regular weekly frequency to this city by an Indonesian carrier Merpati Nusantara Airlines[10] using Fokker 70 aircraft.

With the 48-hour shutdown of Francisco Bangoy International Airport in Davao City on June 2–3, 2013 due to an accident involving a Cebu Pacific aircraft from Manila, General Santos International Airport handled most of the diverted flights from Davao for the stranded passengers going to and coming from Manila, Cebu, Zamboanga and Kalibo cities.