Keypoints:
- $12.5bn Bishoftu airport targets 110m passengers annually
- Ethiopian Airlines anchors design and partial financing
- Project aims to cement Ethiopia as Africa’s top aviation hub
ETHIOPIA has formally begun construction of a $12.5bn mega-airport designed to become the largest aviation hub in Africa, marking one of the most ambitious infrastructure investments ever undertaken on the continent.
Preliminary works are under way at Bishoftu, a town about 40 kilometres southeast of Addis Ababa, where the new international airport will be built. Once completed, the facility is expected to handle up to 110 million passengers a year, more than four times the capacity of the country’s current main gateway.
Pressure on existing infrastructure
Ethiopia’s existing hub, Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, has been operating close to full capacity for several years as passenger numbers and cargo volumes have surged. The growth has been driven largely by the expansion of Ethiopian Airlines, which has grown into Africa’s largest airline by revenue, network and fleet size.
Officials say Bole is expected to reach its maximum operational limits within the next few years, leaving little room for further expansion. The Bishoftu project is intended to relieve that pressure while positioning Ethiopia to capture a greater share of long-haul transit traffic between Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas.
Scale of the project
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has described the development as the biggest aviation infrastructure project in Africa’s history. Plans for the airport include four runways, extensive passenger terminals, large-scale cargo facilities and aircraft parking capacity for up to 270 planes.
When fully operational, the airport is expected to rank among the world’s largest by passenger throughput, placing Ethiopia in direct competition with major global hubs in the Middle East and Europe.
Financing and timeline
Ethiopian Airlines is leading the project and has taken responsibility for the airport’s design. The carrier will finance around 30 percent of the total cost, with the remainder expected to come from a mix of international lenders and development finance institutions.
Initial earthworks are being funded through an early allocation of about $610m. Full-scale construction is scheduled to intensify from August 2026, with officials targeting completion around 2030, although timelines could shift given the complexity and size of the build.
The African Development Bank is expected to play a central role in mobilising additional financing, with interest also reported from lenders in the Middle East, Europe, China and the United States, Reuters said.
Strategic ambitions
For Ethiopian Airlines, the Bishoftu airport is central to its long-term strategy. The carrier plans to expand its passenger network, grow cargo and logistics operations and scale up aircraft maintenance and training facilities, reinforcing Addis Ababa’s role as a pan-African aviation crossroads.
The government also sees the project as a catalyst for wider economic development. Authorities expect the airport to create thousands of construction and permanent jobs, stimulate investment around Bishoftu and strengthen Ethiopia’s position as a regional trade and logistics hub as intra-African travel continues to grow.
Risks and scrutiny
Despite the optimism, analysts caution that mega-projects of this scale carry significant financial and execution risks. Securing long-term financing, managing costs and ensuring sustained passenger demand will be critical, particularly amid global economic uncertainty.
Ethiopian officials argue that the country’s strong aviation track record and the commercial performance of Ethiopian Airlines underpin confidence in the project’s viability.
If delivered as planned, the Bishoftu International Airport would represent a major shift in Africa’s aviation landscape, reinforcing Ethiopia’s ambition to anchor the continent’s global air connectivity for decades to come.
