On Saturday, Ethiopian Airlines formally began a $12.5 billion building project in the Ethiopian town of Bishoftu, which officials claim would be Africa’s largest airport when it is finished in 2030.
The four-runway airport in the town, which is about 45 kilometers (28 miles) southeast of Addis Ababa, was designed by the state-owned airline.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali declared on X that “Bishoftu International Airport will be the largest aviation infrastructure project in Africa’s history.” The airport will be able to accommodate 110 million passengers annually and park 270 aircraft.
According to Abiy, that is more than four times the capacity of Ethiopia’s main airport, which will run out of room for current traffic in the next two to three years.
Abraham Tesfaye, the airline’s director of infrastructure development and planning, told reporters that lenders would cover the remaining 30%.
He stated at the site that it has already set aside $610 million for earthworks, which are expected to be finished in a year.
The principal contractors are expected to begin work in August 2026.
The project’s initial budget was $10 billion.
The African Development Bank, which announced in August of last year that it would finance $500 million and spearhead attempts to raise $8.7 billion, is one of the other creditors.
“Lenders from the Middle East, Europe, China, and the USA have shown strong interest in financing the project,” Abraham stated.
The largest airline in Africa is Ethiopian Airlines. In 2024–2025, it introduced six new routes and increased revenue.
