Construction of the airport began in 2017 south of the town of
Chato and west of the regional capital
Geita. The airport got its first scheduled flight in January 2021 by
Air Tanzania connecting
Julius Nyerere International Airport and
Mwanza Airport.
President Magufuli The airport is located close to Tanzania's 5th president
John Magufuli home town. During various trips to his home region in 2019 and during the early days of the
COVID-19 pandemic, when Magufuli decided to stay at home, the airport hosted various regional heads of state for bilateral meetings. These include •
Uhuru Kenyatta, President of
Kenya on •
Yoweri Museveni, President of
Uganda on and on •
Filipe Nyusi, President of
Mozambique on 11 January 2021 •
Sahle-Work Zewde, President of
Ethiopia on ==Airlines and destinations==