{"id":15609,"date":"2026-01-10T17:30:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T17:30:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/15609\/"},"modified":"2026-01-10T17:30:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T17:30:08","slug":"ethiopian-airlines-ceo-hails-bishoftu-airport-as-game-changer-for-african-aviation-ena-english","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/15609\/","title":{"rendered":"Ethiopian Airlines CEO Hails Bishoftu Airport as Game Changer for African Aviation – ENA English"},"content":{"rendered":"

Addis Ababa, January 10, 2026 (ENA)\u2014The construction of Bishoftu International Airport (BIA) has been hailed as a landmark development for Ethiopia and the wider African aviation sector.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Ethiopian Airlines CEO Mesfin Tasew described the project as a major step toward addressing long-standing structural challenges in Africa\u2019s aviation industry and promoting sustainable growth across the continent.<\/p>\n

Earlier today, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed officially launched the construction of the Bishoftu International Airport City. <\/p>\n

The Prime Minister emphasized that the project is a central pillar of Ethiopia\u2019s national transformation agenda, describing it as a gateway to a more advanced, competitive, and prosperous future.<\/p>\n

The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, First Lady Zinash Tayachew, and senior government officials, marking the formal start of the project.<\/p>\n

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According to Mesfin Tasew, the first phase of the airport city will feature modern, world-class passenger terminals designed to efficiently handle large volumes of travelers.<\/p>\n

\u00a0The airport will include two runways and infrastructure capable of accommodating up to 180 aircraft simultaneously.<\/p>\n

The development will also integrate a 350-room luxury hotel within the terminal complex, alongside a major cargo terminal and aircraft maintenance facility with the capacity to handle up to 1.5 million tons of cargo annually. <\/p>\n

Bishoftu International Airport will be directly connected to Addis Ababa\u2019s Bole International Airport through high-speed rail and road networks, ensuring seamless passenger and cargo movement.<\/p>\n

Designed as more than a national asset, the airport city is expected to serve as a continental aviation and logistics hub.<\/p>\n

\u00a0It is anticipated to strengthen Africa\u2019s economic integration and support the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) by enhancing trade, investment, and business connectivity.<\/p>\n

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The project is also expected to create substantial employment opportunities, accelerate regional development, and stimulate growth in key sectors such as trade, industry, and tourism.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Ethiopian Airlines noted that Bishoftu International Airport will play a critical role in positioning Africa as a competitive global player in aviation and logistics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Addis Ababa, January 10, 2026 (ENA)\u2014The construction of Bishoftu International Airport (BIA) has been hailed as a landmark…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15610,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[262,65,305],"class_list":{"0":"post-15609","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ethiopia","8":"tag-economy","9":"tag-ethiopia","10":"tag-featured"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15609","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15609"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15609\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}