23/09/2025
Ethiopian Airlines Details $10 Bln Bishoftu Airport Plan
Mignot Tariku
September 16, 2025
Ethiopian Airlines Group has disclosed a phased implementation plan for its 10 billion US dollar Bishoftu international airport, with construction milestones stretching over the next four years and the facility scheduled to open by the end of 2030.
The plan was outlined during a two-day stakeholder showcase in Addis Ababa, which brought together more than 40 institutions including development banks, contractors, and financiers. Finance Minister Ahmed Shide, Ethiopian Airlines CEO Mesfin Tasew, and executives from the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dar Al-Handasah Consultants, and KPMG attended the event.
According to Abraham Tesfaye, Director of Infrastructure Planning and Development at Ethiopian Airlines, resettlement of communities around the site will be completed by September 2025, followed by relocation of affected farmers. Early works are set to begin in November 2025, while the main engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contracts are scheduled to commence in October 2026.
“The Bishoftu mega international airport, Africa’s transformative project, calls for the collaboration of various stakeholders,” Mesfin said. “This showcase paves the way for new partnerships, allowing deep insight into the project and its significance in the African aviation landscape and beyond.”
Located about 40 kilometres southeast of Addis Ababa, the Bishoftu airport is designed to ease congestion at Bole International Airport and establish one of the continent’s largest aviation hubs. The project forms part of Ethiopian’s “Vision 2035” strategy to become one of the world’s top 20 aviation groups.