Source: Africa Publicity
Africa’s biggest airline, Ethiopian Airlines, has sealed a mega deal for the design of a new four-runway airport. The first phase of the project is to cost $6 billion.
The new airport will be Africa’s biggest when construction is completed in 2029, Ethiopian Airlines’ CEO, Mesfin Tasew, told a news conference on Friday, August 9, 2024.
To be located near the Ethiopian town of Bishofu, around 45km (28 miles) from the capital of Addis Ababa, the airport will have capacity to handle 100 million passengers a year and provide parking for 270 aircraft, the CEO of Ethiopian Airlines said.
He said “it is a five-year project that will be finalized in 2029. It will be the biggest in Africa.”
Mr. Tasew added that “Phase one alone will cost at least $6 billion. The money will come through loans and there are companies that already showed interest.”
Dubai-based engineering and consulting firm, Sidara, will design the airport, according to Sidara Director of Operations, Tariq AI Qanni.
It would be recalled that the plans to construct a new airport for Ethiopia were announced first in 2018.
According to Tasew, Ethiopia’s current main airport, Bole Addis Ababa International Airport, will soon reach its capacity of serving 25 million passengers per year.
Ethiopian Airlines reportedly transported 17 million passengers in the 2023/2024 financial year, and expects to carry 20 million passengers in its current financial year that started in July this year.
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