The airport has domestic and international services to destinations in Europe, Oceania, Africa (cargo only), Asia and the Americas.

The airport is also Latin America's main gateway to Oceania, with scheduled flights to Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, and Easter Island.

Construction of the original terminal building, the eastern runway (17L/35R), control tower, east apron and cargo facilities commenced in 1961.

The facility was expanded in 1994 with a new international terminal that covered 90,000 square meters, inspired by the architecture of Marseille Provence Airport in France.

During the 2010 Chile earthquake, the passenger terminal building suffered internal damages and the collapse of a pedestrian bridge between the vehicle ramp and the departures area.

Nevertheless, both runways and control tower were unharmed, allowing the realization of a massive humanitarian air-bridge held by the Chilean Air Force to Concepción, Chile (Carriel Sur International Airport), close to the most damaged area by this earthquake and subsequent tsunami.

DGAC Chile and SCL are widely regarded as leaders in Latin America for efficiency, quality, and customer focus.

In 2008, the airport terminal reached its maximum design capacity of 9.5 million annual passengers, two years earlier than forecast, and with the repairs needed after the 2010 Chile earthquake, the Ministry of Public Works announced in 2012 that it would call for proposals for the expansion and administration of the airport, two years prior to the end of the contract with the current operator.

[citation needed] The ministry decided to investigate a new airport master plan instead of an expansion of the single passenger terminal building, as initially proposed by the current operator.

For this new master plan, the Government hired the consultancy services of Aéroports de Paris Ingeniérie (ADP-I), the architecture, engineering and technical branch of the French airport corporation.

New detached passenger terminal buildings for international and domestic flights, additional commercial areas and the construction of a light railway connecting the airport with the Santiago Metro network were considered.

Construction started in August 2016 and ended in March 2021, increasing the total airport capacity from 16 to 38 million passengers per year.

The building also features commercial and gastronomic premises, a playground, an area for art and culture and aid stations for passengers with reduced mobility.

It has been inspired by the region of Los Lagos (Lake District), and this is reflected in the structure's blue palette and decorative panels.

The building also features commercial and gastronomic premises, a playground, an art and culture area and aid stations for passengers with reduced mobility.

The space is based on Patagonia, mirrored in its range of cold colors and panels inspired by the freshness, cleanliness and calm of southern Chile.