The predecessor of Ordos Ejin Horo International Airport was Dongsheng Airport. Construction of Dongsheng Airport began in 1959, intended primarily to resolve the transportation difficulties between Dongsheng and Baotou caused by the Yellow River barrier. At the time, only a few seasonal flights were operated. After the completion of the Baotou Yellow River Bridge in October 1983, the Baotou–Dongsheng air route was discontinued, and the airport was subsequently closed.

In January 2000, the league government decided to relocate and rebuild the airport. Dongsheng Airport was officially decommissioned on July 26, 2007, when all operations were transferred to the newly constructed Ordos Ejin Horo Airport.

On March 25, 2005, the State Council and the Central Military Commission approved the relocation and reconstruction of Ordos Airport. Construction officially began on July 18 of the same year. After the airport was completed, the municipal government repurchased it in full, making it a large, wholly state‑owned enterprise funded entirely by the city and overseen by the Municipal State‑owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission. The completed Ordos Airport covers an area of 5,300 mu, with a 4C‑class airfield featuring a runway 2,400 meters long and 45 meters wide, capable of accommodating Boeing 737‑800 aircraft and smaller types. The apron covers 17,500 square meters and can simultaneously park two Class‑C aircraft and one Class‑B aircraft. The terminal building has a floor area of 5,280 square meters and is equipped with two boarding bridges. The airport was designed for an annual passenger throughput of 270,000 and an annual cargo and mail capacity of 0.2 tons.

Two years later, in May 2007, Ordos Ejin Horo Airport was completed. On June 5, the airport finished its flight‑inspection procedures, and on June 28 it successfully conducted its test flight, carried out by Air China using a Boeing 737‑800. The airport passed industry acceptance on July 5, obtained its civil airport operating license on July 20, and officially opened to traffic on July 26, with

Ordos Airport officially opened to traffic on July 26, 2007, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Ordos Airport Management Group. The airport lay 38 kilometers from downtown Dongsheng, situated 16 kilometers southeast of Ordos City's Kangbashi New District, close to the tourist site of the Mausoleum of Genghis Khan and conveniently located at the junction of the Baomao Expressway and the A-Da Highway. Covering an area of 8,700 mu, the airport has a 4E‑class airfield with a 3,200‑meter‑long, 45‑meter‑wide runway capable of accommodating large aircraft such as the Boeing 747. The inaugural flight, operated by Air China's Boeing 737-800, connected to Beijing Capital International Airport and took off at 10:30 a.m.

Since its opening, Ordos Airport has experienced rapid growth in passenger numbers, far exceeding its original design capacity. As a result, expansion work began as early as 2008 and received approval from the North China Regional Administration of Civil Aviation in 2009. The new terminal building entered service on January 30, 2013. Covering 100,300 square meters, it is designed to handle up to 12 million passengers annually. The terminal is equipped with 13 boarding bridges and 14 aircraft stands. Inside, it features two check‑in islands (A and B) with a total of 32 check‑in counters, seven dual‑channel security lanes for domestic passengers, three single‑channel lanes for international passengers, and a 10,000‑square‑meter VIP area containing 34 lounges.

In November 2015, the airport's airfield classification was upgraded to 4E, making it the first regional airport in North China to reach this level. In November 2016, its aviation port of entry passed national inspection, granting it official status as an open international air gateway, and its name was formally changed to Ordos Ejin Horo International Airport.

On July 17, 2017, with the smooth landing of flight U6879 from Moscow, Ordos International Airport officially inaugurated its first intercontinental route. This milestone also marked the formal opening of fifth‑freedom traffic rights in the civil aviation market of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

The construction of the new parallel taxiway at Ordos Airport commenced in September 2019. The main works include airfield engineering, navigation lighting, perimeter security, and supporting facilities. The airfield engineering includes the construction of one new parallel taxiway, four connecting taxiways, five Category E aircraft stands, and supporting drainage and navigation lighting systems. The project was completed in December 2020 and successfully passed the industry acceptance inspection. At 6:40 a.m.