There are two versions of the origin of the name Viracopos, which means "turn (or overturn) glasses" in Portuguese and can be metaphorically understood as drinking a large amount of an alcoholic beverage at once.

Another version says that, on the site of the present airport, previously there had been a bar where herders had regularly met to exchange views and drink ("turn glasses").

The origin of the Viracopos Airport can be traced to a simple airfield near Campinas built during the 1932 Constitutionalist Revolution in São Paulo.

In 1960, it was improved with a 3,240 m runway, long enough to accommodate the first generation of intercontinental jet planes such as the Boeing 707, de Havilland Comet, Vickers VC10, Convair 990, and Douglas DC-8, and the airport was officially inaugurated on 19 October 1960, same day where it also received its first international flight.

The first phase was completed in the first half of 2004, when the airport received new passenger departure and arrival lounges, public areas, commercial concessions and a new cargo terminal.

As a major import/export hub, Viracopos enjoys 'express lanes' for courier traffic which are exceptionally quick and unbureaucratic by Brazilian standards.

The investment intended to provide a new runway, a new passenger terminal, and a new train route, with its main goal being to alleviate the air-traffic concentrated at Guarulhos International Airport.

[12] Following a decision made on 26 April 2011 by the Federal Government for private companies being granted concessions to operate some Infraero airports,[13] on 6 February 2012, the administration of the airport was conceded, for 30 years, to the Consortium Aeroportos Brasil composed of the Brazilian Triunfo,[14] an Investments and Funds Society (45%), UTC Engenharia e Participações,[15] an Engineering and Investments Society (45%), and the French Aeroports Egis Avia[16] (10%).

[21] Following is the number of passenger, aircraft and cargo movements at the airport, according to Infraero (2007-2012) and Aeroportos Brasil (2013-2023) reports:[33][34][1] The airport is located 82 km (51 mi) northwest of the state capital city of São Paulo and 20 km (12 mi) southwest of downtown Campinas, adjacent to the Bandeirantes-Anhanguera highway complex, which connects the capital city to the interior of São Paulo state.