Kenneth Kaunda International Airport is an international airport located in Chongwe District, off the Great East Road, approximately 27 km northeast of the city centre of Lusaka, the capital and largest city of Zambia. The airport has a capacity of 6 million and is the largest in Zambia, serving as a hub for its region. The airport serves as a hub for Zambia Airways, Proflight Zambia, Royal Zambian Airlines, and Mahogany Air. The airport opened in 1967 as Lusaka International Airport. It was renamed in 2011 in honour of Kenneth Kaunda, the nation's first president.

History

In April 1988, Zambia Airways inaugurated a route to New York via Monrovia. Financial constraints forced the company to suspend the flight in March 1991. It stopped in Banjul at the time. In May 2012, KLM began operating a flight three times a week between Amsterdam and Lusaka using an Airbus A330-200. The flight was restructured later that year to also serve Harare. In October 2014, KLM stopped operating the flight in favour of offering codeshare flights operated by Kenya Airways from Nairobi. In 2015, the government of Zambia began a three-year, US$360 million expansion and improvement of the airport, with funds borrowed from the Exim Bank of China. The work, contracted to China Jiangxi International, involves construction of a new "two-story terminal building, 22 check-in counters, 12 border channels and six security check counters; a presidential terminal, a new air traffic control building and tower and a new hotel". The new terminal was expected to open in 2019. Construction was substantially complete by late January 2020. The new terminal was officially opened 5 August 2021. All international flights use the new terminal, called Terminal Two, while domestic flights use the original terminal, Terminal One.

Facilities

Terminals

Kenneth Kaunda International Airport has two terminals. Terminal One has no jet bridges and is used for domestic traffic. Terminal Two, opened in August 2021, has six gates and handles all international flights.

Ground transportation

Taxis are the most common form of transport to and from the city, as it is a 15 to 20-minute ride to the city centre. There are also 2 car rental companies at the airport, Avis and Europcar, but most hotels in Lusaka have shuttle services into the airport. A bus line also goes between the airport and the Chelston bus station, but the buses do not run on a regular schedule.

Statistics

After a significant drop due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and the opening of the new terminal in 2021, the airport surpassed its pre-pandemic level of passenger traffic in 2023 for the first time. Overall the airport accounts for 75% of all passenger airport traffic in Zambia in 2022.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Cargo

Accidents and incidents