The history of air services in Pasco stretches back to 1926 when Varney Airlines (later United Airlines) held the first air mail contract flight between Elko, Nev., and Pasco. The airport was relocated to its present site and became known as the Franklin County Airport.
The United States Navy built a naval air training station in the early 1940s. Ownership of the field was transferred to the City of Pasco when the Navy left after the war, but the Navy still retains training privileges..
Port of Pasco took over of the ownership of the airport in1963 and opened doors to a new Terminal Building in 1966. A substantial expansion and remodel project took place in 1986 that included access roads, parking lots, aircraft parking apron and more than doubling the size of the terminal building.
In 2003, the airport underwent another expansion and remodel that added an additional 3,000 square feet to the ticket lobby and boarding area.
Due to the major passenger growth experienced over the last decade, the Tri-Cities Airport began a $42.1M expansion of the terminal building. The project kicked-off in September 2014 and wrapped up on January 2017. The project doubled the size of the current terminal to 110,000 square feet; adding an expanded boarding concourse and restaurant; increasing space for security screening; and modernized the ticketing and baggage areas. The expansion will support the increased passenger and airline growth through 2030.