Ethiopia is set to construct the largest airport in Africa in Bishoftu, a town located 39km South East of the capital Addis Ababa. The US $5bn airport is expected to cover an area of 35 square kilometers and will have a capacity to handle 100 million passengers every year.
According to Ethiopian Airlines‘ Chief Executive Officer Tewolde Gebremariam who revealed the ambitious plan, Bole Airport is not going to be sufficient considering the ever rising number of passengers but they have a beautiful expansion project. “Bole airport looks very beautiful and very large but with the way that we are growing, in about three or four years we are going to be full,” he added.
The country’s expansion plan is in line with its 15-year expansion strategy for its aviation industry. Ethiopia is entering into a partnership with countries and establishing subsidiaries in countries like Malawi, Chad, Zambia, and Mozambique, to cement its influence in Africa’s aviation market.