19th century

Harrisburg International Airport has been serving south-central Pennsylvania since the late 19th century. Beginning in 1898, the Signal Corps of the U.S. Army was stationed there. This was followed by the first military airplanes landing in 1918 at what had become Olmsted Field of the fledgling U.S. Army Air Service.

20th century

The Middletown Air Depot, later renamed Middletown Air Materiel Area at Olmsted, provided logistical and maintenance support of military aircraft until it closed in 1969. In 1968, airline flights moved from Capital City Airport to the former U.S. Air Force base, renamed as Olmsted State Airport. The airport was renamed Harrisburg International Airport in 1973. Architect William Pereira designed the new terminals, completed in 1973.

From April 1969 through the completion of its May 1971 acquisition by Universal Airlines, American Flyers Airline, a supplemental air carrier, was based at Olmsted State Airport. American Flyers flew charter flights, including to Europe.

In the mid 1970s, the airport was a leading center for exporting cattle by air. In 1974, 33 flights departed the airport with Holstein cattle to countries such as France, Italy, Kuwait, Japan, Turkey and Uganda, on "stretch" Douglas DC-8s from airlines such as Flying Tiger, Seaboard World and Airlift International.

Prior to deregulation, Harrisburg was served by Allegheny Airlines with flights to several Northeast destinations, Trans World Airlines with flights to Chicago, and Altair Airlines with commuter flights within Pennsylvania.

In 1998, the Commonwealth transferred ownership to the Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority (SARAA). The Authority board consists of community volunteers appointed to staggered, five-year terms by the elected officials from Cumberland, Dauphin, and York counties, the cities of Harrisburg and York, and Fairview and Lower Swatara townships.

21st century

A new 360,000 square-foot terminal was completed in 2004. It cost $120 million and was designed by the Sheward Partnership.

As of 2008, about 1,400 people work in the system of Harrisburg International Airport.

As of 2026, four airlines serve Harrisburg International Airport, including Allegiant Air, American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines.

Frontier Airlines began service to Harrisburg in the late 2010's. During their time at MDT, they served Orlando, Denver, and Raleigh before the COVID-19 pandemic. Post-pandemic, the airline's sole destination from MDT was Orlando. The airline ceased all service to MDT on April 13, 2026, citing network reconstruction as the reason.