The HIAA was established in November 1995 in advance of changes to the operation of Canadian airports by the federal government.
[3] The federal government through its Department of Transport had owned and operated the airport since its construction in 1960, however by the 1990s it was examining ways to reduce the payroll and scope of Transport Canada's activities.
Beginning with changes to the Canada Transportation Act in 1995, Transport Canada began to divest the operation of sea ports and airports to non-profit authorities.
On February 1, 2000 HIAA took over management of Halifax Stanfield International Airport from Transport Canada.
Since then, HIAA has undertaken an aggressive construction schedule to implement long-neglected improvements to the airport infrastructure.