According to state media reports, Ethiopian Airlines has agreed to construct a new airport in Africa, which is expected to cost $6 billion.
As Ethiopian Airlines chief executive Mesfin Tasew stated during a press conference on Friday, the new airport will have the capacity to accommodate 100 million passengers annually once completed in five years.
He mentioned that Ethiopian Airlines has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Dar, a consulting company based in Dubai, to oversee the design development of the airport, which will feature four runways.
“It will be built in Bishoftu, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) Southeast of the capital, Addis Ababa, and stretch across 35 square kilometres (13.5 square miles),” he said.
“The first phase includes the construction of the airport facility with a capacity of 60 million passengers per year and the completion of phase two of the airport project will grow to handle more than 100 million passengers per year,” Mesfin said, according to state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate.
Tariq Al-Qanni, the director of operations at Dar, who attended the press briefing, stated that once finished, it will become the largest airport in Africa, as reported by Fana.
“The scope of the agreement is for Dar to develop the detailed design of the new airport and, at the same time, assist the Ethiopian Airlines in the selection of the contractors who will build the new airport facilities,” Mesfin added.
The largest airline in Africa is Ethiopian Airlines, which recently announced revenue of $7 billion for the 2023/24 financial year and served 17.1 million passengers. The airline’s hub is currently located at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, which has the potential to accommodate up to 25 million passengers annually.