The new airport is a strategic response to Addis Ababa Bole International Airport nearing its capacity.<\/a> Bole International Airport, which can only handle about 25 million passengers a year, is already Africa\u2019s third-busiest airport. Bishoftu\u2019s first phase is set to be done by 2030. It will handle 60 million travellers annually with two terminals and two parallel runways. This is a key step in implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).<\/p>\nEthiopian Airlines Group CEO, Mr Mesfin Tasew, stated the project<\/p>\n
\u201cWill redefine the continent\u2019s aviation ecosystem.\u201d<\/p>\n
Backing this statement, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed called it<\/p>\n
\u201cThe largest aviation infrastructure project in Africa\u2019s history.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/A-glimpse-of-Bishoftu-International-Airport-design.-Africas-Global-Gateway-Redefined.jpg\")
The proposed design of Bishoftu International Airport. \u00a9 Ethiopian Airlines Group
\nLinks, Location and Funding<\/p>\n
The project\u2019s cost has increased from the initial $10 billion to $12.5 billion. Ethiopian Airlines will fund 30%. The remaining 70% will be from outside lenders. The African Development Bank has committed $500 million, and there are efforts to raise a further $8.7 billion.<\/p>\n
Located 40 kilometres southeast of the capital, early groundwork has already started on the site. With a budget of $610 million, it is scheduled for completion within a year. Main construction will begin in August 2026. When fully built, the four-runway airport will include a cargo hub, a hotel, and high-speed rail and road links to the capital.<\/p>\n
Will this new airport make Ethiopia Africa\u2019s top travel hub? Tell us your thoughts below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ethiopian Airlines has officially commenced construction of the colossal Bishoftu International Airport. The ground-breaking ceremony on January 10,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":19558,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[65],"class_list":{"0":"post-19557","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ethiopia","8":"tag-ethiopia"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19557","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=19557"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19557\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19558"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19557"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19557"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19557"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/ET-APU_-_Boeing_777-F6N_-_Ethiopian_Airlines_-_MSN_41817_-_VGHS.jpg\")
An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 777 aircraft during flight. \u00a9 Shaifuzzaman Ayon