The foundations of Košice Airport were laid on a military base. For a long period the airport was used for military, passenger and sporting aviation. 

The history of aviation, or flying, in Košice goes back more than 100 years. On 14 June 1906, the inhabitants of this city had their first chance to see a gas-filled balloon rising to the sky.

In 1910 in the village of Krásna nad Hornádom (now part of Košice), the first aviation day was held, at which three aircraft were presented. In 1920, the first military airfield was established (located between today's Južna Trieda and the railway lines), which also served civilian aircraft later on.

The day of 5 May 1924 was a great milestone for Košice, as Czechoslovak State Airlines (ČSA) opened a route from Bratislava to the largest city in eastern Slovakia. In 1925, a big aviation day took place at the then Košice Airport.

After the Second World War, the air link with Košice was restored in 1946, when flying began on the Košice-Sliač-Bratislava-Brno-Prague route. Because the old airport was no longer suitable for modern aircraft, construction of the current airport began in 1950 on land behind the borough of Barca.

Three years later, operations began with a runway of 2 000 metres, a taxiway and a handling area. In 1955 a direct line was established from Prague to Košice and back, which received the nickname the “East Slovak Express”.

In 1959, the military flight schools were moved to Košice, so the airport again saw mixed military-civilian operations. Between 1974 and 1977, the runway was extended by 1100 metres. Further extensive reconstruction of the runway and handling surface took place between 1992 and 1993.

In 2001, the construction work began on a new terminal, which was opened in 2004 and was awarded the title “Building of the Year 2005”. In 2004, the company Letisko Košice – Airport Kosice, a.s., was formed with a strategic partner joining in 2006.

In 2007, the handling area was extended, increasing the number of stands.

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