Following is a brief history of Teterboro Airport. Teterboro is the oldest operating airport in the New York & New Jersey metropolitan area. Walter C. Teter acquired the property in 1917. During World War I, North American Aviation operated a manufacturing plant on the site. After the war, the airport served as a base of operations for Anthony Fokker, the Dutch aircraft designer. The first flight from the present airport site was made in 1919. During World War II, the Army and Air Force operated the airport. The Port Authority purchased it on April 1, 1949 from Fred L. Wehran, a private owner and later leased it to Pan Am World Airways, and then to its successor organization, Johnson Controls, for 30 years until December 1, 2000, when the Port Authority assumed full responsibility for the operation of Teterboro.

Teterboro airport embraces its own history and that of the entire aviation industry with the inclusion of the Aviation Hall of Fame & Museum of NJ on the airport grounds. Founded in 1972, it is the first state aviation hall of fame in the nation, honoring the men and women who brought outstanding aeronautical achievements to the state.