Central Wisconsin Airport opened in 1969 as a centralized commercial airport between Wausau and Stevens Point which each had their own commercial airfields prior to that time. North Central Airlines served the new airport with flights to Chicago, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis/St. Paul, some flights making stops at other cities within Wisconsin. North Central previously served Wausau and Stevens Point individually and was able to upgrade their service from prop aircraft to Douglas DC-9 jets with the opening of CWA. North Central merged with Southern Airways to become Republic Airlines in 1979 which was then merged into Northwest Airlines in 1986. Northwest merged into Delta Air Lines in 2010 which continues to serve CWA by way of feeder carriers operating as Delta Connection. After airline deregulation was passed in 1978, several other carriers including Skyway Airlines, operating on behalf of Midwest Express, have served CWA. American Airlines and United Airlines also began new service to Chicago by way of their feeder carriers operating as American Eagle and United Express. Avelo Airlines briefly served the airport, flying Boeing 737-800 aircraft to Orlando. American Eagle and Delta Connection continue to serve the airport. Starting on October 25, 2026, United Express will serve the airport again, after having previously ended service on January 3, 2022.

In 1997, the terminal was modernized with five new gates, and the highway access was reconstructed.

On September 1, 2012, the airport began a $10 million modernization program, moving the security checkpoints and enlarging the ticket counters to reduce passenger congestion. The airport gained a geothermal energy system that reduces utility bills, providing all but 20% of its heating and cooling requirements.