The site was selected in 2004 and construction began in mid-2006. The original date for completion was 2012. Construction costs, which were to be financed largely by China, were estimated in 2015 at US$3.8 billion. Reporting in 2024 indicates the project started in 2005, with construction beginning in 2013. The project was led first by China International Fund in conjunction with the Brazilian company Odebrecht until 2019, then by Aviation Industry Corporation of China. The original contract was terminated in 2017 and a new contract issued in 2020.

The airport was officially inaugurated on 10 November 2023. Domestic passenger flights were planned to begin in February 2024 and international passenger services in June 2024. Flight operations began slowly, however, as the first cargo flight was on 19 December 2023, and only 32 cargo flights were completed by 20 February 2024. During the 30 days ending 9 August 2024, fewer than ten flights were recorded. By early April 2024, the target date to shift all operations to the new airport was the end of 2024. TAAG Angola Airlines later planned to move their hub progressively to Dr. António Agostinho Neto International Airport until the end of the first quarter of 2025.

The first passenger flight connection at the new airport was launched on 10 November 2024. By 18 December 2024, an average of four flight departures per day was recorded. By 17 April 2025, an average of 11 flight departures per day was recorded, all by TAAG Angola Airlines and nearly all to Angolan destinations. TAAG transferred its international services in October 2025, and other airlines gradually followed. By 5 January 2026, average daily departures rose to 19, while departures from the previous airport declined to 2.