The Westchester County Airport was originally constructed on land purchased by Westchester County. However, World War II began, and the land set aside for the airport was appropriated by the United States Army.
In 1944, when the pressure for fighter planes to defend New York City from enemy attack had passed, the airport was returned to the County and opened for civilian use.
Although the airport opened in February 1945, it was three years before the first commercial flight took off from Westchester Airport.
Beginning in 1952, the United States Air National Guard maintained a base at the airport for reserve training and transportation missions. However, the military presence at the airport ended in 1983 when the unit moved to Stewart Airport.
Since then, the airport has been developed, with respect for the environment and the surrounding communities, as an economic development tool to enhance the attractiveness of Westchester as a place to live and do business.
In 2005, discount airlines came to the airport for the first time. This offered low cost transportation to recreational destinations in addition to the cities that had been the focus of business for commercial service until that time.
In 2012, approximately 1.75 million passengers passed through the main terminal, directly to and from business and recreational destinations throughout the United States.
As one of the most active business aviation facilities in the nation, the airport had approximately 161,109 total aircraft operations in 2012. Total aircraft operations for 2012 were comprised of approximately 20 percent commercial, 46 percent corporate, and 34 percent light general aviation.