Ethiopia breaks ground on a new mega-airport

Groundbreaking ceremony of Bishoftu International Airport attended by His Excellency Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of Ethiopia (second left). Photo source: Ethiopian Airlines

Ethiopian Airlines has officially started construction on a US$12.5bn airport that promises to be the largest in Africa – a massive infrastructure bet designed to entrench the carrier’s status as the continent’s dominant aviation group.

Located in Bishoftu, approximately 45km southeast of the capital Addis Ababa, the new hub will eventually accommodate 110m passengers annually – dwarfing the capacity of the current Bole International Airport, which is nearing its saturation point of 22m travellers.

Phase one, slated for completion by 2030, will deliver capacity for 60m passengers. Upon final completion, the site will boast four runways and parking stands for 270 aircraft. The facility will be connected to the existing Bole International Airport via a dedicated high-speed rail link and an expanded road network. Communities living on the construction site have already been resettled.

Ethiopian Airlines will provide 30% of the funding for the project, with the remainder secured through debt financing. The African Development Bank (AFDB) has already committed US$500m and said it will lead efforts to raise the balance from other lenders.

The Bishoftu site also offers an operational advantage. At an altitude of 2,334 meters above sea level, the current Bole International Airport is one of the highest major airports in the world. The thin air limits engine performance forcing planes to burn more fuel to obtain lift. The upcoming Bishoftu International Airport is more than 400m lower than Bole. This difference will allow Ethiopian Airlines to save fuel and carry more passengers and cargo.

Once completed, the new airport is likely to surpass Cairo International Airport and Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport, currently the continent’s two busiest in terms of passenger numbers.

Ethiopian Airlines is Africa’s largest carrier by passenger volume, transporting 17.4m people in 2024. It is also the continent’s biggest cargo operator. The airline connects Africa with Asia and the West making Addis Ababa the top aviation hub of the continent. More notably it is the only African airline to fly direct to Singapore. Ethiopian has also established secondary hubs through equity stakes in regional carriers – such as Asky Airlines in Lomé, Togo, and Malawian Airlines. Despite being 100% state-owned, the carrier is managed with limited political interference. Its young, fuel-efficient fleet – anchored by Boeing 787 Dreamliners and Airbus A350s – helps drive down costs and boost reliability.

However, the airline faces intensifying competition. Flag carriers from the Gulf are aggressively expanding their African footprints. Emirates has increased flight frequencies to key markets including South Africa, Uganda, and Ethiopia, while Qatar Airways holds stakes in South Africa’s Airlink and Rwanda’s national carrier. Qatar is also co-financing the development of the US$2bn Bugesera International Airport in Rwanda. Meanwhile, Turkish Airlines continues to widen its reach; late last year, it signed a codeshare agreement with South African Airways that will extend its network beyond the 50-plus African destinations it already serves.

 

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