During 2008 the airport's 1960-era control tower received extensive radio, plumbing and electrical upgrades and renovations funded by the federal government.

[2] The airport was built by the United States Army Air Forces in the early 1940s, and was known as Napa Flight Strip.

[3] 4th Air Force used the base to train replacement fighter pilots, primarily flying P-38 Lightnings before being deployed overseas.

In 1971 International Air Services Company (IASCO) and Japan Airlines (JAL) opened a flight training school at the airport.

[13][14] By the spring of 1947, Southwest Airways (which in 1958 subsequently changed its name to Pacific Air Lines, the predecessor of Air West and Hughes Airwest) was serving the Napa County Airport with six daily flights operated with Douglas DC-3 aircraft with three round trip services flying San Francisco - Oakland - Napa - Sacramento - Marysville/Yuba City - Chico - Red Bluff - Redding with two of these flights continuing northbound serving Yreka and Medford.

In 1969, Golden Pacific Airlines (1969-1973) was operating five flights every weekday from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) with Beechcraft 99 commuter turboprop aircraft.