Ethiopia Set to Build New Four-Runway Mega Airport

Ethiopia has signed an agreement for the design and construction of a new mega airport. When construction is completed in 2029, the new four-runway airport will be the largest airport in Africa.

Located near the town of Bishoftu, around 45 km from the capital Addis Ababa, the airport will have capacity to handle 100 million passengers a year and provide parking for 270 aircraft.

Dubai-based engineering and consulting firm Sidara will design the airport. Plans to build the airport were originally announced in 2018.

According to Mesfin Tasew, Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO, Bole Addis Ababa International Airport, the current main hub for Africa's biggest airline, will soon reach its capacity of serving 25 million passengers per year.

"It is a five-year project (that) will be finalised in 2029. It will be the biggest in Africa," Mesfin said.

"Phase one alone will cost at least $6 billion. The money will come through loans and there are already companies that already showed interest."

Ethiopian Airlines carried 17 million passengers in the 2023/2024 financial year. The airline expects to carry 20 million passengers in the financial year that started in July.