Autophagy (or macroautophagy) is a key cellular process that removes damaged molecules (particularly proteins) and subcellular organelles to maintain cellular homeostasis. There is growing evidence that abnormalities in autophagy may contribute to the pathogenesis of many chronic diseases, including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In asthma, increased autophagy plays a role in promoting type 2 immune responses and eosinophilic inflammation, whereas decreased autophagy may be important in neutrophilic asthma. Acute exposure to cigarette smoke may activate autophagy, resulting in ciliary dysfunction and death of airway epithelial cells, whereas in stable COPD most studies have demonstrated an impairment in autophagy, with reduced autophagic flux and accumulation of abnormal mitochondria (defective mitophagy) and linked to cellular senescence. Autophagy may be increased or decreased in different cell types and depending on the cellular environment, making it difficult to target autophagy therapeutically. Several existing drugs may activate autophagy, including rapamycin, metformin, carbamazepine, cardiac glycosides and statins, whereas others, such as chloroquine, inhibit this process. However, these drugs are nonspecific and more selective drugs are now in development, which may prove useful as novel agents to treat asthma and COPD in the future.