He secured financing from wealthy businessmen, chose the land where the airport sits today and overcame obstacles imposed by the local government.

[2] In the same year it closed, the airport saw some improvements as a result of Pope John Paul II's visit to the city in July.

The visit also inspired the name for the park which remains on the western portion of the airport grounds: the Aeroparque Juan Pablo II.

In 2008, the national government gave the airport and five others in Colombia under concession to operating company Airplan,[4] which is conducting a series of renovations to the terminal (at the time of writing they are ongoing).

With an investment of more than US$27 million, Airplan began the transformation under the parameters defined in its concession contract with the Aeronáutuica Public Establecimeinto Olaya Herrera.

[5][6] Among the main objectives are to ensure aviation safety, passenger comfort, and meeting the requirements of ICAO, Aerocivil, and IATA.

[8] The airport has 111 hangars located south of the terminal, where the executive offices of several commercial, charter, and cargo airlines, as well as flight schools can also be found.