A new mega-airport is being built in Africa – and it’s set to cost at least £5billion and become the continent’s biggest travel hub.
The airport will be built near the town of Bishoftu, Ethiopia. The site is 25 miles away from the country’s capital, Addis Ababa.
Once fully built, it is expected that the airport will welcome 110million annual passengers.
Ethiopian Airlines and Dar Al-Handasah Consultants reached a deal earlier this year for the design and overseeing of the project.
The project has been named ‘Mega Airport City’, and aims to boost Ethiopia’s economic growth.
Under the current plans, the project should be completed by 2029.
The new airport will boast a four-runway configuration and a state-of-the-art terminal.
The existing airport in the capital Addis Ababa Bole is located at a height of 2,334 meters (7,625 feet), making it one of the highest airports in the world.
Ethiopian Airlines Group chief executive Mesfin Tasew said of the project: “The project will not only enhance connectivity but also drive economic growth and prioritize environmentally responsible practices in our country and beyond.”
Dar’s director of operations in Ethiopia Tariq Al-Qanni said: “We are privileged to be collaborating with Ethiopian Airlines on this visionary new airport, which will provide vital global air connectivity, accelerate economic growth in Ethiopia, and elevate Ethiopian Airlines into Africa’s most strategic and most competitive aviation group.”
Ethiopia’s new airport may be set to become the biggest in Africa, but the largest airport in the world is under construction in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, the world’s busiest airport is Dubai International Airport. It had 44.9 million passengers in the first half of this year.
