The 48th Aerial Port Squadron, located at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, deploys qualified personnel to provide air terminal operations worldwide in support of contingency operations, exercises, unit moves, and foreign humanitarian relief or disaster operations. The squadron provides expertise in all areas of air terminal operations to include aircraft loading, cargo processing and inspecting, passenger services, aircraft fleet services and aerial port command and control.

Peacetime mission: Train personnel to provide sustained expeditionary support of aerial port operations at established, fixed and/or non-fixed terminals.

Wartime mission: Deploy resources in support of Air Mobility Command for contingencies or other higher headquarters-directed operations.

The 48th Aerial Port Squadron was constituted on January 29, 1973. The squadron was activated on July 1, 1973 at Travis Air Force Base, Calif. and assigned to the Western Air Force Reserve Region. The 48th APS was later assigned to the 349th Military Airlift Wing (Associate), (later, 349th Airlift Wing (Associate)) on Aug. 1, 1973. The squadron moved to Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, on July 1, 1975. It was assigned to the 349th Operations Group on Aug. 1, 1992. The Squadron was assigned to the 624th Regional Support Group on Jan. 1, 2002 and remains in that assignment to the present day.

Air Force Outstanding Unit Award; 1996-1998, 2000-2002, 2003-2005, 2006-2007