Colonial era

The airport was formerly known as Panasan Airfield, named after the village where it is located. The name Panasan is derived from Javanese and refers to an open area or field that becomes hot under intense sunlight, making it a common site for local residents to dry goods (mepe). The airbase was constructed by the Dutch colonial government in 1940 as part of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force’s preparations for a potential Japanese invasion of the Dutch East Indies—an invasion that eventually occurred in 1942. At the time of the Japanese advance, the base remained incomplete and was not yet fully operational. To prevent it from falling intact into enemy hands, the Dutch employed a scorched-earth strategy and attempted to destroy key facilities. During the subsequent Japanese occupation (1942–1945), the airbase was completed and further developed by the Japanese, who inherited an asphalt runway approximately 1,000 meters in length, along with offices, a headquarters, hangars, and other support infrastructure—some of which had been damaged by the Dutch. Under Japanese control, the base was operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service as a military airfield. The airfield was also expanded southward by the Japanese during the war, with these expansions forming the basis of the present-day Indonesian Air Force base located south of the runway.

The Japanese vacated the airbase following their surrender at the end of World War II. The airfield was soon taken over by Indonesian militias during the Indonesian National Revolution through diplomatic communication with the Japanese. When the Japanese withdrew, they left several aircraft at the airfield, some of which were later acquired by the Indonesian Air Force to support its war effort. The surrendered Japanese personnel were subsequently repatriated from the airfield to Semarang and Jakarta using the Douglas DC-3s of the Allied forces. When the Dutch launched Operation Product, the airfield was attacked and bombed by the ML-KNIL. In response, several revolutionary militias in Surakarta destroyed key infrastructure, including bridges and the airbase, to prevent them from being recaptured by Dutch forces. The scorched earth policy implemented during the Indonesian National Revolution around Panasan Airfield resulted in some aircraft, as well as fuel and certain munitions, being deliberately concealed by Indonesian fighters. This strategy was adopted due to the limited number of Indonesian personnel capable of operating the Japanese aircraft left behind. However, Operation Product ultimately devastated Panasan Airfield. Aircraft that had been intended for concealment were destroyed by an attack carried out by three Dutch P-51 Mustang aircraft. Office buildings, hangars, and several other airbase facilities were also damaged during this first military aggression. In addition, four personnel from the Panasan air force unit were killed in the attack. As a result, the airfield remained abandoned until the late 1950s, after the Dutch had withdrawn from Indonesia following the recognition of its sovereignty.

Independent era

It was not until 1959 that Panasan Air Base was reactivated by the Indonesian Air Force and officially designated as the Air Force Military Education Center (Pusat Pendidikan Kemiliteran Angkatan Udara, PPKAU).

On 24 March 1974, the Indonesian government, through the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the Ministry of Defense and Security, officially opened Panasan Airport for civilian use. Commercial operations began on 23 April 1974, with Garuda Indonesia launching scheduled flights on the Jakarta–Solo and Solo–Jakarta routes, operating three times a week. Subsequently, on 25 July 1974, the airport was renamed to its current name, Adisoemarmo Airport, in honor of Adi Soemarmo Wirjokusumo, an Indonesian Air Force officer and national hero of Indonesia. He was the younger brother of Agustinus Adisucipto, another pioneer of the Indonesian Air Force, whose name was later used for the airport in Yogyakarta. Both brothers were killed on 29 July 1947 when their Douglas C-47 Skytrain was shot down by Dutch forces over Yogyakarta while delivering medical supplies to Republican-controlled area.

On 31 March 1989, the airport was designated as an international airport with the launch of international flight routes connecting Solo to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. On 1 January 1992, management of the airport was officially transferred from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to Angkasa Pura I, which is now known as InJourney Airports.

On 28 January 2008, the airport was temporarily closed to all commercial traffic to facilitate the arrival of the body of former Indonesian President Suharto, which was flown from Jakarta's Halim Perdanakusuma Airport. He was to be buried in Karanganyar later that day.

In 2016, Lion Air established Adisoemarmo Airport as one of its hubs to strengthen its flight connectivity network. The initiative aimed to expand service routes from Central Java—particularly from Solo—to various domestic and international destinations.