Another nine Taliban fighters are dead and one wounded, while another continues to battle with security forces at the scene, officials said.
Up to another 35 people have also been injured in the attack which was launched on Tuesday evening.
Armed attackers wearing military uniforms stormed the complex.
They initially took up position in an old school building in a residential area of the large, heavily fortified compound which houses both a civilian airport and military base used by Afghan and NATO military forces.
Witnesses said some families had been taken hostage and used as "human shields" by the assailants.
One said: "Soldiers were calling on Taliban attackers to let women and children go but attackers declined. We could hear children screaming during the fighting."
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack and posted a picture on their website of the assailants, armed with Kalashnikovs, which the group said were involved in the assault.
"Afghanistan's national army forces are bravely fighting terrorists in airport areas and are trying to act cautiously to avoid harm to civilians," the country's defence ministry said in a statement.
The assault comes ahead of the Heart of Asia conference hosted by Pakistan in Islamabad which aims to revive peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban.
Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani said he hoped to see "positive moves in the coming weeks".
"We very much hope that Pakistan can play a very influential role and very important role in the peace and reconciliation process," he added.
Kandahar is the second-largest city in Afghanistan, situated southwest of the capital Kabul.
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