Ethiopian authorities have just announced the start of construction on Bishoftu International Airport (BIA), its future major hub.
Construction work on this mega-project – estimated to cost US$12.5 billion – began on January 10.
The new airport is located 45 km southeast of Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, and according to Abiy Ahmed Ali, Prime Minister of the East African nation, the construction of this airport is the largest project ever undertaken by an African country in the continent’s history: “Bishoftu International Airport will have four runways capable of accommodating 270 aircraft of all sizes.”
“On the passenger side, the new airport will be able to accommodate up to 110 million passengers per year, four times the capacity of Addis Ababa Bole, Ethiopian Airlines’ main hub,” said A. Ahmed Ali.
For his part, Ethiopian Airlines CEO Mesfin Tasew made no secret of his pride in what will be the largest airport hub in the history of the African continent, helping the airline further expand its services and secure its place among the world’s leading air transport companies.