Ethiopia Begins Construction of “Africa’s Biggest Airport”

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Ethiopian Airlines has formally commenced construction on Bishoftu International Airport, a megaproject valued at USD 12.5 billion that, once completed in 2030, aims to become the biggest airport on the African continent.

The announcement marks one of the most significant infrastructure moves in global commercial aviation outside traditional markets. This is not merely about expanding capacity, but about consolidating Ethiopian Airlines as a carrier with an intercontinental hub, capable of competing on a scale with the major connection centers of the Middle East and Asia.

Designed Capacity for the Long Term

The new airport will be built in the town of Bishoftu, about 45 kilometers southeast of Addis Ababa, and will feature a configuration that is uncommon even globally: four operational runways.

According to official data:

Projected annual capacity: 110 million passengers

Aircraft parking aprons: Space for 270 aircraft

Project scale: More than four times the capacity of the country’s current main airport

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali was clear in stating that the current airport will reach its operational limit in the next two to three years, a bottleneck that makes this large-scale expansion essential.

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From a strategic perspective, the project’s scale suggests that Ethiopian Airlines is not only solving an immediate constraint but anticipating decades of growth in passenger traffic, cargo, and intercontinental connections.

Ethiopian Airlines Assumes Technical and Financial Leadership

A distinctive aspect of the project is that Ethiopian Airlines has been awarded the contract to design the airport, an unusual role for an airline, but consistent with its model of vertical integration and its prior experience in infrastructure development.

Financially, the scheme combines internal resources and external funding:

30% of the project will be directly financed by Ethiopian Airlines

70% will come from international lenders

USD 610 million has already been allocated for initial earthworks, which are expected to be completed within one year.

The main contractors are scheduled to begin construction in August 2026.

Initially, the airport was budgeted at USD 10 billion, an upward adjustment that reflects the final magnitude of the design and the global inflationary context in the infrastructure sector.

Global Financial Interest and the Role of the African Development Bank

International backing is one of the clearest indicators of the project’s strategic weight. The African Development Bank has already confirmed a loan of USD 500 million and has taken the lead in structuring a total financing package of USD 8.7 billion.

Furthermore, Ethiopian Airlines confirmed strong interest from lenders in the Middle East, Europe, China, and the United States, positioning Bishoftu Airport as a project with global financial validation, extending beyond the African regional sphere.

A Project Aligned with the Airline’s Expansion

The announcement comes at a time of sustained operational expansion for Ethiopian Airlines. The company, recognized as Africa’s largest airline, added six new routes in the 2024/25 period, while its revenue continues to grow.

The correlation is direct: without adequate infrastructure, the growth of fleet, network, and connectivity would face a clear operational ceiling. Thus, Bishoftu International Airport emerges as the structural piece that will allow scaling Ethiopian Airlines’ hub-and-spoke model to levels comparable with major global players.