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Ethiopia on Saturday began the construction of a $12.7 billion airport that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed says will be the largest in Africa when completed, as the country pushes to expand its role as a major aviation hub.
The new airport is being built in Bishoftu, southeast of the capital Addis Ababa, and is expected to handle up to 110 million passengers a year at full capacity. Construction is scheduled to last about five years.
The project, partly financed by Ethiopian Airlines, is intended to replace Bole International Airport, which currently handles 25 million passengers annually.
Announcing the start of construction, Abiy described the development as the biggest aviation infrastructure project ever undertaken on the continent.
He said the airport would strengthen Ethiopian Airlines’ global competitiveness, improve air connectivity across Africa, and support trade and tourism growth.
“This multi-airport strategy aims to future-proof Ethiopia’s role as Africa’s leading air transport gateway,” Abiy said in a post on X.
“Bishoftu International Airport (BIA) will be the largest aviation infrastructure project in Africa’s history. It aligns with Ethiopia’s national economic reforms, industrialisation agenda, and long-term aviation strategy.
“The project will strengthen Ethiopian Airlines’ global competitiveness, enhance Africa’s connectivity under the AfCFTA framework, expand trade and tourism corridors, and position Ethiopia as a premier intercontinental hub.”
The development plan includes a multi-lane motorway linking the airport to Addis Ababa and a 38-kilometre high-speed rail line, expected to run at speeds of up to 200 kilometres per hour.
The African Development Bank (ADB) has earmarked $500 million for the project, while talks are ongoing with the Asian Development Bank, the European Investment Bank and the US Development Finance Corporation to secure additional funding.
The project comes as Ethiopia seeks to boost foreign tourism despite ongoing armed conflict in parts of the country, including the Amhara and Oromia regions. Bishoftu, where the airport is being built, is located in Oromia.
The airport will occupy about 35 square kilometres of land. According to Ethiopian Airlines chief executive Mesfin Tasew Bekele, about 2,500 farmers were displaced by the project and resettled last year at a cost of $350 million.
Africa’s second-most populous country, with about 130 million people, Ethiopia has launched a series of major infrastructure projects in recent years, including the completion of the continent’s largest hydroelectric dam and extensive urban renewal schemes in Addis Ababa and other major cities.
