The airport was originally built in 1942 as an airstrip used by the Allies during World War II.

In 1969, the Busia government started a project to upgrade the airstrip into an fully-fledged airport and it officially opened on 13 July 1974.

[6] Due to reasons such as visible deterioration of the airport's overall infrastructural status, which included fractures and portholes seen on the runway, in 2016 the facility's operations were halted.

[3][7] The second phase, which is estimated to cost around US$36,345,025.1, focuses on making the airport more suited for full commercial operations and accessibility for larger aircraft.

[8] Accounting for all of the facilities below, the airport have the maximum capacity of handling around 100 passengers per hour.