McCollum Field opened in 1960 with a single 4,000-foot (1,219 m) runway. There was a stub taxiway connecting the runway with the ramp area, 60,000 square feet (5,570 m²) of aprons, and a single administration building. The airport steadily grew over the next

30 years with the greatest developments occurring in the early 1990s.

In 1991, the airport layout plan was first revised. The first full service fixed base operator opened in 1992. A second full service fixed base operator opened a year later. That same year, the Georgia State Patrol Hangar was constructed. The Air Traffic Control Tower was opened in 1995, followed by an Instrument Landing System glide slope the next year. Over the course of the decade, there were four major purchases of new land at a total cost of US$3.8 million in grants and an unspecified amount in local funds. In addition, 6 new hangars were built.

McCollum Field was first designed as a small field for general aviation. It is designated as a reliever airport for Hartsfield-Jackson Airport and DeKalb-Peachtree Airport. Cobb County is also the primary general aviation airport for the Atlanta suburban population. With an average of 475 takeoffs and landings each day, it is the third most trafficked airport in Georgia.