Aviation activity in the Trapani area predates the opening of Trapani–Birgi Airport. After the Second World War, civilian air services were operated from Trapani–Chinisia Airport, which remained open to civil traffic between 1955 and 1961. Following the closure of Trapani–Chinisia, the role of the area’s civilian airport was transferred to Birgi.

Trapani–Birgi was developed in the early 1960s. Civil aviation activities began in 1964, with initial scheduled services linking Trapani to Palermo, Pantelleria and Tunis. From the same period, the airport also hosted military activities, establishing its role as a facility with both civilian and military functions.

From 1964 until the mid-1980s, scheduled civilian services were operated by Aero Trasporti Italiani on the Rome–Naples–Palermo–Trapani route, with connections to Lampedusa added from 1968. During the 1970s, an increase in military activity at Birgi contributed to the progressive definition of separate operational areas for civilian and military use within the airport.

In June 2003, agreements between the Italian Civil Aviation Authority and the Sicilian regional government led to the introduction of subsidised public service air routes. Around the same time, responsibility for civilian airport operations was assigned to Airgest, beginning a new phase of development for the airport’s civilian activities alongside its ongoing military use.