Before the construction of the current airport, Ciudad del Carmen operated Carranza Airport, which provided services for Mexicana de Aviación on the Veracruz-Villahermosa-Ciudad del Carmen-Mérida route since 1928. The current airport was built in 1942, and it became operational on February 23, 1944, under an agreement with the United States to monitor the area during World War II. The construction cost of the airport was 9 million pesos. Its management became part of Aeropuertos y Servicios Auxiliares (ASA) in 1965. The oil production boom and infrastructure development associated with the oil industry in the Gulf of Mexico significantly increased operations at the airport. For many decades, the airport offered services to other industrial cities in the Gulf region like Villahermosa, Poza Rica, and Reynosa, major cities like Monterrey, Guadalajara, and Cancun, and international flights to Houston by Continental Express, primarily serving the oil industry market. Reaching a peak of 661,901 passengers in 2015, the airport has since experienced a decline with the downturn in oil and petrochemical activities in the region. In 2017, United Express canceled service to Houston. Despite a mild rebound in 2019, only 342,737 passengers passed through Ciudad del Carmen in 2023.