Established in the 1940s as an airfield, the current airport is operated by the Shire of Exmouth under a lease from the Australian Government Department of Defence and occupies an area of 23.9 hectares (59 acres) on the RAAF Base Learmonth site. The terminal opened on 3 December 1999.[4]
On 7 October 2008, Qantas Flight 72 made an emergency landing at RAAF Learmonth. On 1 June 2012, an AirAsia X flight to Perth made an emergency landing at Learmonth Airport for refuelling.[5] Learmonth is designated an emergency alternative airport in the case of fog or bad weather affecting Perth Airport.[6]