Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ) traces its commercial aviation roots to 1939, when the Albuquerque Municipal Airport opened with a Pueblo-style terminal and 2 paved runways. Within 2 years, the Army established a military air base adjacent to the field, a facility that eventually became Kirtland Air Force Base, which still shares the airport's runways today, making ABQ one of the few active joint civil-military airports in the United States.

By the early 1960s, the original 1939 terminal was outgrown. A new $2.5 million facility designed by architect William E. Burk Jr. opened on November 12, 1965, starting with 8 gates and no jet bridges. The airport gained international status in 1971, was renamed Albuquerque International Airport, and received its current name, Albuquerque International Sunport, in 1994. A major expansion between 1987 and 1989 added Concourses A and B and introduced jet bridges across 19 new gates. The terminal received another extensive modernization between 2017 and 2020.

Situated at 5,355 feet above sea level between the Rio Grande and the Sandia Mountains, ABQ is New Mexico's largest commercial airport and the state's primary international gateway. The elevation makes density altitude a real operational consideration for pilots year-round. Southwest Airlines, Delta, and American Airlines lead the carrier mix, with non-stop service to more than 30 destinations. The airport handles roughly 5.3 million passengers annually and serves as the aviation anchor for the Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Los Alamos combined statistical area.