1930s: Birth of a Military Airport
- The aviation field was established in 1937 on the plateau of Gonneville. The first occupants were naval aviators in 1939, before the Luftwaffe took over the airfield. A 1,700-meter tarmac runway was constructed, and the German army stationed 3,800 soldiers there.
- In 1944, the airport witnessed numerous aerial battles. The new occupants became the Allies, who restored the airport in 1945 by reconstructing a 1,500-meter runway. In 1962, with NATO deciding to turn Maupertus into a strategic base, a control tower was built, and the runway was extended to 2,440 meters.
1970s: A New Terminal and the Start of Charter Flights
- A terminal building was subsequently constructed, accommodating a young airline called Aurigny Air Service. The airline began charter flights in 1970 and in 1972 initiated regular service between the Channel Islands and Cherbourg. In 1975, Brymon Airways established a link between Plymouth and Cherbourg. The traffic increased, and the airport surpassed the platforms of Caen, Deauville, Le Havre, and Rouen.
1980s to 1990s: Connection to Orly Airport
- The connection to Orly Airport, established in the 1930s, intensified in 1984 with an increase in the number of flights. The route, initially capable of carrying 40 passengers, reduced to 19 seats in 1989 with Air Atlantique. After being operated by Air Atlantique, the Orly route was taken over by Twinjet in 2002, then by Chalair in 2008, before ceasing operations in October 2009.
- In 1990, Chalair started regular services to Toussus-le-Noble. With the COGEMA construction project intensifying, Chalair increased its flights in 1995 to five rotations per day to Toussus-le-Noble.
- In 1992, holiday flights organized by tour operators began operating from Cherbourg. Five rotations were scheduled for the year. A year later, as Air Atlantique acquired an ATR42, a hangar was built on the airfield to accommodate it.
2016: New Airport Management
- Since December 30, 2009, the management of Cherbourg Maupertus Airport has been entrusted to the company Edeis.