ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopia has started building what will become Africa’s largest airport in the town of Bishoftu, southeast of capital Addis Ababa, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced on Saturday (10 January).
The massive aviation hub is expected to cost around $12.7 billion (about R209.4 million) and handle up to 110 million passengers annually when operating at full capacity. Construction is projected to take five years to complete.
Record-breaking infrastructure project
The Bishoftu facility, partly financed by national carrier Ethiopian Airlines, will replace the capital’s Bole Airport, which currently handles up to 25 million passengers each year.
Prime Minister Ahmed described the initiative as “the largest aviation infrastructure project in Africa’s history” in a post on X.
“This multi-airport strategy aims to future-proof Ethiopia’s role as Africa’s leading air transport gateway,” he said, adding that the project would strengthen Ethiopian Airlines’ global competitiveness, enhance African connectivity, and expand trade and tourism corridors.
The development includes ambitious transport connections, featuring a multi-lane motorway linking the new facility to Addis Ababa and a 38-kilometre high-speed railway capable of reaching speeds up to 200 kilometres per hour.
International funding secured
The African Development Bank has earmarked $500 million (R8.25 billion) towards the project, whilst Ethiopian authorities are in discussions to secure additional funding from the Asian Development Bank, European Investment Bank, and US Development Finance Corporation.
Ethiopian Airlines Group and African Development Bank sign a mandate letter for financing Africa’s largest aviation infrastructure project.
Challenges and displacement
The 35-square-kilometre airport site has already required the relocation of 2 500 farmers, who were rehoused last year at a cost of $350 million (R5.77 billion), according to Ethiopian Airlines CEO Mesfin Tasew Bekele.
Ethiopia hopes to attract foreign tourism despite ongoing armed conflict in its two most populous regions — Amhara and Oromia — with Bishoftu located in the latter.
The project forms part of Ethiopia’s broader infrastructure development programme.
The country, Africa’s second-most populous nation with approximately 130 million inhabitants, officially inaugurated the continent’s largest dam last year and has extensive urban renewal projects underway in Addis Ababa and other major cities.