Flying between African cities forces many travelers to transit outside the continent, through London, Paris or Dubai. But a $12.5 billion airport under construction in Ethiopia could help change that.
Nearly 30 miles southeast of the capital Addis Ababa, works began in January on what Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali described as “the largest aviation infrastructure project in Africa’s history.”
Bishoftu International Airport is scheduled to open in 2030 with two runways and capacity for 60 million passengers a year, with plans to grow to 110 million passengers — more than the world’s busiest airport, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson, which saw 106 million passengers in 2025.
The project is led by state-owned Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s largest carrier by fleet size, total passengers and revenue. CEO Mesfin Tasew told CNN the airline “will invest 30% of its equity” to cover the $12.5 billion cost directly. The other $8 billion is yet to be secured, with the US, China and most recently Italy involved in negotiations.
Addis Ababa is already one of Africa’s top aviation hubs, but the airline’s base, Bole International Airport, is quickly reaching capacity and has no room to expand.
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