The precursor of Ercan Airport, Tymbou Airport, was constructed by the British in World War II as a military airport, during their colonial rule of the island. Following the Turkish invasion of 1974 and the partition of the island, it was taken over by the Turkish army, and today is used as the main civilian airport of Northern Cyprus. It is named after Fehmi Ercan.

Since 2006, the rule which stipulates that flights are required to touch down at a Turkish airport before continuing to and from Ercan has been under discussion. In 2006, the Turkish government began discussions for Northern Cyprus' main port of Famagusta, and main civilian airport Ercan, to be able to operate direct connections, with the UK government describing it as a "significant and creative offer".

However, as of 2024, the rule still applies, and Ercan airport has seen a decrease in customers, as a result of new tight security measures imposed by the UK Department for Transport questioning the status of the airport and forcing passengers travelling between Britain and Northern Cyprus to disembark with their luggage and go through a fresh security check in Turkey in order to board a new aircraft for their final destination.

Construction began on a new terminal in 2016 with completion originally set for 2018. The new terminal was eventually opened in July 2023, boasting a new runway of 3100m compared to the old runway of 2755m, enabling the introduction of wide-body planes to Ercan. The new airport terminal is 6 times the size of the old one and has been designed for up to 10 million passengers per year.