It is named after Gopinath Bordoloi, a freedom fighter and the first Chief Minister of Assam after India's independence.

The airport has undergone numerous expansions and renovations since its establishment in 1958, to facilitate socio-economic development, growth, connectivity and tourism in the state as well as in North-East India, as a gateway to the region.

The airport witnessed annual traffic of over 23% in 2018–19, with a total footfall of 5.7 million passengers and 55,066 aircraft movements in the same period.

In November 2021, the airport won more bids, this time for six international destinations under the UDAN Scheme – Dhaka, Bangkok–Don Mueang, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Yangon.

[8] In February 2019, the airport was given on lease for 50 years' ownership to Adani Group, at the highest bid of ₹ 160 per passenger.

[12][13] The airport has a 3,110 m (10,200 ft)-long and 60 m (200 ft)-wide runway, oriented 02/20, capable of handling widebody aircraft like the Boeing 787, and is equipped with CAT-III Instrument Landing System (ILS), Döppler Very High Frequency (DVOR)/Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) and PAPI lights facilities to allow flight operations to take place at night and during unfavourable weather conditions, like rain and fog.

[16] The airport is an eco-friendly airport that has adopted various advanced and modern measures to ensure proper disposal of waste and ensure sustainability, such as a solid waste management system, a wastewater treatment facility, a rainwater harvesting facility, a solar power plant to the south of the terminal for generating electricity, green spaces and an underground drainage system.