It is located in the southeastern Coachella Valley, 20 nautical miles (23 mi, 37 km) southeast of the central business district of Palm Springs,[1] in Thermal, California.

[2] Built during World War II and used by both the US Army and US Navy, Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport has had several name changes.

The most recent name change, to honor the pioneering aviator and Indio resident Jacqueline Cochran, took place in 2004.

The facility hosts an air show in late November, showcasing both full-scale aircraft and radio-controlled models as flown by members of the Coachella Valley Radio Control Club.

In addition to flying operations, the station served as a pre-embarkation training center for aviation, construction, ordnance and other units.

NAB Thermal provided pilot refresher training and aircraft strength reached 115, including the F6F Hellcat, F4U Corsair, TBM Avenger, SB2C Helldiver, and SBD Dauntless.

The airport sees consistently high passenger usage annually in the December - March time periods, due to a heavy influx of wealthy equestrian participants in the Coachella Desert Circuit horse show.

Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport covers an area of 1,850 acres (749 ha) at an elevation of 115 feet (35 m) below mean sea level.

[1] For the 12-month period ending April 30, 2023, the airport had 57,093 aircraft operations, an average of 156 per day: 80% general aviation, and 20% air taxi.

Desert Jet Maintenance also provides AOG (Aircraft on Ground) support to Palm Springs (KPSP) and Bermuda Dunes (KUDD) airports with their mobile unit.