The airport is named for James Alexander George Smith McCartney, the territory's first Chief Minister, who died in a plane crash in New Jersey, United States in 1980.

Bahamas Airways was serving the airport by the late 1950s with weekly flights to Nassau via an intermediate stop at Inagua operated with small de Havilland Heron prop aircraft. By the early 1960s Bahamas Airways was operating the same routing and weekly schedule with larger Douglas DC-3 prop aircraft.

During the mid 1970s, two airlines were operating international flights from Grand Turk including Mackey International Airlines with Douglas DC-6 propliner service to Miami (MIA) with continuing service to Fort Lauderdale (FLL) three days a week and Turks & Caicos Airways in association with Haiti Air Inter with direct flights to Cap-Haitien, Haiti continuing on Port au Prince, Haiti operated with Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander commuter prop aircraft. During the late 1970s, Southeast Airlines was operating direct no change of plane service to Miami (MIA) three days a week via a stop in South Caicos with a Lockheed L-188 Electra turboprop aircraft. In 1978, Trans-Jamaican Airlines was operating nonstop service once a week to Kingston with Britten-Norman Trislander prop aircraft. In 1994, Turks and Caicos Airways Ltd., which was based in Grand Turk, was operating flights with Beechcraft 1900C turboprops as well as Britten-Norman Islander and Cessna prop aircraft with flights from Cap-Haitien, Haiti and Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic in addition to local flights in the Turks and Caicos Islands including service from Middle Caicos, North Caicos, Providenciales, Salt Cay and South Caicos.

This is also where Friendship 7 launched.

Past scheduled airline jet service

Grand Turk was previously served by several different airlines operating scheduled passenger jet service between the airport and Miami (MIA). In 1979, Air Florida was operating four flights a week with Boeing 737-100 jets to Miami. By 1984, Air Florida was serving Grand Turk with 737 jets on a "triangle" routing of Miami - Grand Turk - Puerto Plata - Miami four days a week. In 1985, Cayman Airways was flying Boeing 727-200 service to Miami three times a week Also in 1985, Atlantic Gulf Airlines was flying British Aircraft Corporation BAC One-Eleven service nonstop to Miami as well as direct to MIA via a stop in Providenciales. By 1989, Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) was operating nonstop Boeing 727-200 flights to Miami twice a week. In 1993-1994, Carnival Air Lines was flying Boeing 727-100 jet service to Miami twice a week via a stop in Providenciales. Also in 1994, Turks and Caicos Airways Ltd., which was based in Grand Turk, was operating Boeing 737-200 nonstops from Miami twice a week in addition to flying turboprop and prop service into several island destinations including local service within the Turks & Caicos Islands (see above).