Although it had been in operation since the beginning of the 1950s, the official opening of the airport took place on 19 January 1958.
In 1961, the first renovation of the airport complex began, with an extension of the runway and enlargement of the passenger terminal.
In 1975, Infraero became the administrator of the airport. Infraero later invested in further extension of the runway (completed in 1993) and in significant enlargement of the passenger terminal (completed in 1998).
In 2012, the airport started the last extension through the construction of a completely new passenger terminal which will double its capacity.[5]
Previously operated by Infraero, on March 15, 2019, AENA won a 30-year concession to operate the airport.[6]
12 July 1951: a Lóide Aéreo NacionalDouglas DC-3/C-47 registration PP-LPG, still registered under Linhas Aéreas Paulistas – LAP, flying from Maceió to Aracaju, after aborting a landing in adverse conditions in Aracaju, overflew the runway and initiated a turn in low altitude to the right. The aircraft crashed during this turn. All 33 passengers and crew died including the Governor of the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Jerônimo Dix-sept Rosado Maia.[8][9]
^Germano da Silva, Carlos Ari César (2008). "Linhas Aéreas Paulistas". O rastro da bruxa: história da aviação comercial brasileira no século XX através dos seus acidentes 1928–1996 (in Portuguese) (2 ed.). Porto Alegre: EDIPUCRS. pp. 108–111. ISBN978-85-7430-760-2.