It was officially known as Ndola Airport before being renamed in 2011 in honour of Simon Kapwepwe, the nation's former vice president.

[1] It is located adjacent to the Dag Hammarskjöld Crash Site Memorial about fifteen kilometres (9.3 mi) west of the city centre.

This new airport was engineered by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC International) at a cost of $397 million.

[7] Before August 2021, the Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport was at an old location, in the Itawa suburb of Ndola (south-east of the city centre).

The new airport was engineered by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC International) at a cost of $397 million.