The airport was set up by a group of aviation enthusiasts in October 1932 and two months directors were chosen to select where the airport was going to be built. In 1935 construction work started at the airport where two years later on 27 September 1937 the first scheduled flight from Santiago de Compostela took place. After the Spanish Civil war, political prisoners held in the concentration camp of Lavacolla were forced to work in the construction of the airport. In 1969 a new terminal was built at the airport. It later underwent several expansions, including a remodeling in 1993. In June 1980, Iberia launched a seasonal flight to New York City on a Boeing 747. This was Santiago de Compostela's first transatlantic route. Four months later, Viasa added non-stop service to Caracas using McDonnell Douglas DC-10s. In 1981, a cargo terminal was built, giving the airport capacity to handle cargo flights. Viasa shut down in 1997, but Avensa reinstated the route to Caracas in March 1999. United resumed intercontinental flights to the Americas with a new route to Newark that started in May 2026. On 13 October 2011, a new passenger terminal opened at the airport. On 23 April 2026 through 27 May 2026 the airport was closed to all air traffic for major runway renovation.