The airport was built in 1941 as Higley Field. It was renamed Williams Field on February 24, 1942, in honor of Arizona native First Lieutenant Charles Linton Williams (1898–1927), who was killed while serving with the 19th Pursuit Squadron at Wheeler Field, Oahu, when he had to ditch his Boeing PW-9A, 26-353, in the Pacific Ocean about a mile off of Fort DeRussy. The fort was located in the Territory of Hawaii (Hawaii would become a state in 1959). In 1948, Williams Field was acquired by the US military and renamed Williams Air Base. It was a flight-training field during World War II. In 1948, Williams became the first jet training base. In 1966, it was the first site of the Undergraduate Pilot Training program. The 1991 Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommended closing the base, and it closed in 1993. As the base was being shut down, growing traffic at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix was figured to warrant an alternative airport. The runway was expanded to accommodate airliners, and the facility opened in 1994 as Williams Gateway Airport. Bids were submitted by some airlines to begin flights almost immediately. In 2004, charter airline Ryan International Airlines began MD-82 flights to Bullhead City International Airport in Bullhead City, Arizona, next to Laughlin, Nevada, and many resorts. Shortly thereafter, the airport once again became a flight training center to take advantage of the area's clear weather. On July 31, 2007, the low-cost Las Vegas–based carrier Allegiant Air announced plans to open a focus city at Phoenix–Mesa Gateway Airport, connecting the Phoenix area to 13 cities. Service commenced on October 25, 2007, with cities being added until November 21, 2007. In a September 17, 2007, press release, the Williams Gateway Airport Authority governing board approved a name change for Williams Gateway Airport effective October 15 to Phoenix–Mesa Gateway Airport. On June 16, 2015, after Elite Airways announced non-stop flights from San Diego and Salt Lake City to Phoenix–Mesa, Allegiant threatened to leave the airport. This was primarily due to the incentives the airport offered to Elite. If Allegiant were to leave, it would consider relocating to the nearby Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. On January 21, 2017, Phoenix–Mesa welcomed its first international flight and first two international destinations, as WestJet inaugurated its seasonal service to Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta. WestJet had seen success at Phoenix Sky Harbor for years, with Calgary and Edmonton being the first- and sixth-most popular international destinations at Sky Harbor, respectively. From Mesa, WestJet flew nonstop to Calgary; its subsidiary Swoop flew nonstop to Edmonton and Winnipeg. In May 2023, it was announced that WestJet and Swoop would not return for seasonal flights for the 2023–24 season, citing low profitability. A third Canadian airline, ultra-low-cost carrier Flair Airlines, previously announced in March 2023 that it would move its Phoenix–Canada operations to Sky Harbor in October. On May 3, 2021, Phoenix–Mesa Gateway welcomed Avelo Airlines, which is based at Hollywood Burbank Airport. The service was short-lived and the airline's final flight to/from Phoenix–Mesa was on August 16, 2021. In 2022, a new control tower was added to help with increased air traffic to the airport. On December 17, 2024, following Phoenix's withdrawal from the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport Authority, the board voted to officially change the airport's name to Mesa Gateway Airport.