The airport was originally built as Slatina Air Base, containing the second-largest military underground hangar complex in Yugoslavia. From 12 to 26 June 1999, there was a brief but tense stand-off between NATO and the Russian Kosovo Force in which Russian troops possessed the airport. A contingent of 200 Russian troops deployed in Bosnia and Herzegovina, crossed over into Kosovo and subsequently captured the airport in Pristina. The apron and the passenger terminal were renovated and expanded in 2002 and again in 2009. In June 2006, Pristina International Airport was awarded the Best Airport 2006 Award by Airports Council International (ACI). Winning airports were selected for excellence and achievement across a range of disciplines, including airport development, operations, facilities, security and safety, and customer service. On 12 November 2008, Pristina International Airport received for the first time in its history the annual one-millionth passenger (excluding military). A special ceremony was held at the airport where the one-millionth passenger received a free return ticket to a destination of his choice served by the airport. In late 2010, the airport was renamed from Pristina International Airport to Pristina International Airport Adem Jashari, the founder of the Kosovo Liberation Army. Due to the ongoing dispute between Serbia and Kosovo, flights to and from Pristina International Airport are impacted by the refusal of ATC in Serbia, namely SMATSA, to allow overflights via Serbian airspace. This ultimately results in flight paths avoiding Serbian territory, with flights to Pristina having to enter via Albanian or Macedonian airspace. This dispute can generally add up to 30 minutes to a flight duration; however, all discussions aimed at overcoming this dispute have so far failed. In April 2011, operation was handed to Limak Kosovo International Airport J.S.C. under a design-build-finance-operate-transfer (DBFOT) 20-year concession agreement with the Turkish-French consortium Limak Holding and Aeroports de Lyon. To take account of travel disruptions due to COVID-19, in 2024, the concession agreement was extended another 20 months. In 2013, a new 42,000 m2 (450,000 sq ft) terminal was inaugurated. In December 2021, the runway was extended from 2,500 to 3,000 m (8,200 to 9,800 ft) and ILS upgraded from Category 2 to Category 3b, funded by the Kosovo Government. In July 2024, the number of gates increased from 8 to 12, funded by the private operator.