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Ethiopian Airlines signs deal for $6 billion mega airport
AFP
Sat, Aug 10, 2024, 4:13 AM CDT1 min read


Ethiopian Airlines has signed a deal for the design of a new $6 billion airport described as the biggest in Africa, state media reported.

The new hub will be able to handle 100 million passengers a year once completed in five years, Ethiopian Airlines chief executive Mesfin Tasew was quoted as saying at a press conference on Friday.

He said Ethiopian Airlines had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Dubai-based consulting company Dar to develop the design for the airport, which will have 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 handling more than 100 million passengers per year," Mesfin said, according to state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate.

Dar director of operations Tariq Al-Qanni, who was at the press conference, said it would be the biggest airport in Africa once complete, Fana reported.

"The scope of the agreement is for Dar to develop the detailed design of the new airport and at the same time to assist Ethiopian Airlines in the selection of the contractors who will build the new airport facilities," Mesfin added.

Ethiopian Airlines is the largest in Africa, last month reporting revenue of $7 billion for its 2023/24 financial year, carrying 17.1 million passengers.

Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, currently the airline's hub, has a maximum capacity of 25 million passengers a year.

Sounds like an enormous undertaking!

Dubai had 87 million last year, and Dubai airport is enormous!

It certainly sounds like Ethiopian Airlines has big plans. Maybe we won't have to go down to the basement to clear the guns for loading any more.

If the new airport is modeled along the lines of Dubai Airport it should function very effectively. Dubai Airport is the only one I actually enjoy going through. Next would be Changi, Singapore.
A bit of money is being spent on new airports by forward looking African countries. Kenya has also recently signed a deal for a new airport. It's interesting that these countries have contracted with Arab developers and not Chinese.

Well, the main point is having the right personnel to run it!