An airport for Manassas was proposed in 1930, when the mayor was Harry P. Davis. It was built in 1931 on along
Virginia Route 234, in the area now known as Manaport Shopping Center. Originally owned privately, the Town of Manassas bought the airport in 1945. Due to airport activity and nearby housing development, the airport moved to its current location in 1964. The new airport opened with a single paved runway. In 1992, the city purchased a
control tower from
Centennial Airport near
Denver and reassembled it at Manassas Regional Airport. A new terminal was built in 1996. The IATA code was changed from WOU to the current MNZ between mid-1976 and mid-1977. The airport saw commercial airline service by
Colgan Airways in the 1970s and 1980s with flights to
Washington Dulles International Airport and continuing onto
Binghamton, NY. Colgan was based at the Manassas airport and flew
Beechcraft 99 and
Beechcraft 1900 commuter aircraft. From late 1985 through early 1987 Colgan teamed up with
New York Air and was known as
New York Air Connection providing feeder flights for the larger carrier. In early 1987 New York Air merged into
Continental Airlines and Colgan operated as a
Continental Express feeder carrier however service to Manassas ended a short time later. Colgan returned to Manassas for a period of time in the mid 1990s operating under their own brand and providing flights to Washington Dulles. In June 2023, the airport received a proposal from airport operator Avports to relaunch commercial operations, with "multiple interested parties." The Manassas City Council approved the proposal unanimously on July 24, 2023, with commercial operations expected in two years. As of December 2025, flights are now expected to begin in spring 2027. == Facilities==