Fukuoka Airport was first constructed in 1944 by the former Japanese Army, as Mushiroda Airfield. However in 1945, right after the war ended, it was immediately confiscated by the U.S. military, who began to use it under US administration as "Itazuke Airport".
After that, in April 1951, a 2.800km runway was constructed. In October, the Tokyo-Osaka-Fukuoka air route was opened as a domestic flight service for civilian usage, and in September 1965, the Fukuoka-Busan route was set up, marking the airport's first international service.
With the post-war recovery, and the expansion of both overseas and domestic services, Fukuoka Airport has developed in to a major hub.
In December 1970, in light of the circumstances, the Japan-US Security Council decided to transfer ownership of Itazuke airport to the Japanese Goverment. In April 1972, the airport was designated as a second-class airport, and renamed "Fukuoka Airport", under the management of the Ministry of Transport . At the same time, it was designated as a specific airfield, under the Prevention of Injury from Aircraft Noise Around Public Airfields Act.

In April 1974, due to the increase in the number of passengers, Fukuoka Airport started opened a second Terminal Building (now the south part of the Domestic Passenger Terminal Building), and in April 1981 a Terminal 3 Building was set up (now the north part of the Domestic Passenger Terminal Building), making Fukuoka Airport a major airport in East Asia.
In addition, as a result of efforts to improve links to various modes of transportation, Fukuoka Airport Station (Fukuoka Kuko Station) was opened March 1993, in joint association with Fukuoka Municipal Subway.
Since then, facilities have continued to be enhanced and improved upon. In May 1999, the International Passenger Terminal Building and Cargo Building were established. With the construction of the new International Passenger Terminal Building on the west side of the runway, the building on the east side became exclusively for domestic flights. The Passenger Terminal Buildings were divided into two seperate buildings to the east and west across the runway.

In June, 2012, the Domestic Terminal Area Redevelopment Project (including the setting back of the Terminal Buildings and construction of a second parallel taxiway) commenced.
In June, 2015, with the further increase in demand for air travel, a second redevelopment project for the Domestic Passenger Terminal Building began, which was completed five years later in January 2020.
In March 2016, Fukuoka Airport was designated as a "crowded airport" under Aviation Law.
In August 2018, The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and Fukuoka International Airport Co., Ltd. concluded a "Fukuoka Airport Specified Operation Project and Public Facility Operation Rights" contract.
In April, 2019, Fukuoka International Airport Co., Ltd. commenced ownership of Fukuoka Airport.
In March, 2020, the Nata Heliport was newly established in Higashi-ku, Fukuoka City, and operational efforts for both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft were strengthened.

In addition, a Government-led effort for the construction of an additional runway is currently underway, estimated for completion in 2025.
At Fukuoka Airport, it is our mission to become one of the best airports in all of Asia, by placing emphasis on safety and security, maintaing strong ties with the local community, expanding airline services and providing a full range of service to passengers.