Since December 22, 1999 it is named after Petrônio Portella Nunes (1925–1980) a former mayor of Teresina, governor of Piauí, senator and minister of justice.

The airport was commissioned on September 30, 1967, and on December 23, 1974, it started being operated by Infraero.

The airport underwent major renovations between 1998 and 2001, including the passenger terminal, runway and the construction of a new control tower.

[6] Following is the number of passenger, aircraft and cargo movements at the airport, according to Infraero (2007-2021) and CCR (2022-2024) reports:[8][9][1] Note: a: 2022 series provided by CCR is incomplete, lacking data for the months of January, February and part of March.

The airport is located 5 km (3 mi) from downtown Teresina.