Once completed in five years, the airport should be able to handle 100 million passengers annually, said airline boss Mesfin Tasew.
According to state media, it will be the largest airport in Africa. Currently, this top spot is held by Cairo International Airport in Egypt’s capital Cairo – with around 26 million passengers last year.
According to Tasew, the airline and Dubai-based consulting firm Dar signed a memorandum of understanding to plan the four-runway airport. The airport would be located in Bishoftu, about 40 kilometers southeast of Addis Ababa, and would cover 35 square kilometers, Tasew said.
Two construction phases planned
According to him, the hub will be built in two phases: After the first construction phase, it will be able to handle 60 million passengers annually. Once completed, the capacity will be 100 million passengers.
Ethiopian Airlines is the largest airline on the African continent. For the 2023/24 financial year, it reported revenues of seven billion dollars and the transport of 17.1 million passengers. Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, currently the airline’s hub, can handle up to 25 million passengers annually.
