Construction has commenced of a USD 12.5 billion airport with four runways and parking bays for 270 aircraft at Bishoftu in Ethiopia, Ethiopian Airlines (ET) has announced.
Phase one of the new airport, which is about 45 kilometres south of Addis Ababa, will have capacity for 100 000 square metres of cargo on completion in 2030, more than quadrupling airfreight capacity.
Currently, Bole International Airport on the outskirts of the capital, handles about 785 000 tonnes of cargo annually, as per ET’s financial year data for 2025.
Bishoftu International will target 3.7 million tonnes annually – 4.7 times higher than current constrained-growth capacity.
For initial earthworks to start on what will ultimately be Africa’s biggest airport, ET is financing $610 million of the 30% it has set aside for the projected construction total.
A further $500 million be financed by the African Development Bank (AfDB) once primary contractors proceed with construction, scheduled for August.
AfDB has also committed to help raise $8.7 billion towards the construction of Bishoftu International.
According to Abraham Tesfaye, director for Infrastructure Development and Planning at Ethiopian Airlines, it is expected that the remaining financing of the project will be raised through foreign direct investment from the Middle East, Europe, China and the US.
ET Group CEO, Mesfin Tasew, said over the weekend during a ceremony commemorating groundbreaking for the airport’s construction, that it would “redefine the continent’s aviation ecosystem”.
“This project stands as yet another milestone, supporting the growing demand for our passenger and cargo services.
“Bishoftu International Airport is a major step towards addressing the infrastructural gap in Africa and a key player in implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area, and at Ethiopian we are committed to realise the completion of this project.”
