In 1823 the British East-India Company established a trading post on the island of Imogenia. Before this date it had been a Chinese possession, though one that had not been heavily settled or civilised. Along with Singapore the British used it as a strategic trading post along the spice routes. Gradually a strong trading community grew up and Imogou City became an important regional centre. After Japanese occupation, in the Second World War, Imogenia reverted to British rule but merged with Malaya, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak in 1963 to form the United States of Malaysia. In the postwar period it's central location in the South China Sea between Malaysia and Vietnam made it a valuable hub for seafreight and international commerce. After the founding of the United States of Malaysia Imogenia's air transport services were provided as part of the network of Malaysian Airways and this continued after the independence of Singapore in 1963, Imogenia itself in 1965, and the creation of the joint MSA (Malaysia-Singapore airlines) operation.

1970-Present Day
After the split of MSA, in 1972, Imogenia unusually decided not to form its own airline and instead continue to allow the majority of services to be run by Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Malaysia Airways System (MAS). SIA concentrated on long haul routes whilst MAS took over most regional services. Traffic and economic growth remained strong necessitating the development of a new airport facility to take over from the original ex-air force base that dated from WW2. Imogenia International (IMO) opened in 1978 with a single runway and three piers all capable of handling 747s. It has since grown to be one of the busiest airports in South East Asia despite not having its 'own' home-based carrier.

Singapore Airlines (SIA) remains a major operator at the airport basing between ten and twelve aircraft at IMO, operating a range of regional and long haul services. Malaysia Airways System also continues as a major operator on a number of Malaysian and regional destinations. Liberalisation of the air transport market in the late 1980s has allowed a pair of new entrants into the market to compete with the established pairing. Cathay Pacific began basing several aircraft at Imogenia in 1990 and has since grown its operation to cover a number of long range destinations. The most recent entrant into the airport is Air Macau which began basing two airbuses at Imogenia during 1996 to operate regional services. Chinese carriers also have a strong presence due to the high percentage of ethnic Chinese people resident in the islands.