The project was proposed by the San Miguel Corporation (SMC) and is set to help decongest Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the main gateway to the capital for air travelers.

[7][8] A report by The Manila Times in 1972, just before Martial Law under Ferdinand Marcos, stated that the airport would be moved to Bulacan to replace the older one in Pasay and Parañaque.

[10] JICA later recommended the construction of a new airport in the vicinity of Sangley Point, Cavite City[11][12] and conducted a full feasibility study.

However, the Aquino administration rejected the unsolicited proposals, stating that they "spark controversies" that detract from the "open, transparent bidding" they intended for the project.

[14] In February 2017, San Miguel Corporation proposed the construction of an airport with two parallel 3.5-kilometer (2.2 mi) runways under a BOT scheme.

[15] The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board approved the unsolicited proposal on April 26, 2018[16] and negotiation report on the Concession Agreement (CA) on December 21, 2018.

[17] SMC president and CEO Ramon Ang said the projects, which would be wholly funded by the firm with no government guarantees or subsidies, will improve the lives of more Filipinos by promoting numerous industries and creating millions of quality jobs around the country.

[1] DOTr allowed the SMC unit to build, maintain, and operate the airport without funding from the government for a set period of time.

11506 on December 20, 2020, records from the House of Representatives showed, after President Rodrigo Duterte failed to sign the bill within the 30-day period given for Malacañang's review.

[25][26] On October 8, 2019, Pamalakaya national chairman and former Anakpawis representative Fernando Hicap requested that then House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano conduct a congressional inquiry on the airport project and its potential adverse impacts.

[31] Pamalakaya-Bulacan spokesperson Rodel Alvarez also claimed that there was a lack of relocation plan for the residents and fishermen who would be potentially affected by the project.

[32][33] The scheduled groundbreaking in December 2019 faced a delay, which according to DOTr secretary Arthur Tugade was due to an issue over the "wording and interpretation" of the concession agreement with the SMC.

[39][40] San Miguel Aerocity Inc. with the presence of Dutch Ambassador Maria Alfonsa Magdalena Geraedts inaugurated on February 23, 2024 the 40-hectare (99-acre) "Saribuhay sa Dampalit" in Pamarawan, Malolos, Bulacan.