Ethiopian Airlines plans to complete Bishoftu International Airport within five years, with commercial operations expected to begin by 2030.

The airport, located 40 kilometres southeast of Addis Ababa, is designed to be the largest in Africa, featuring four runways and a 1.1 million square metre terminal capable of handling 60 million passengers annually in its initial phase.

Future expansions could see capacity rise to 110 million passengers and 3.73 million tonnes of cargo per year, making it a major continental aviation hub.

The development is intended to ease congestion at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, which currently serves around 25 million passengers annually.

The group chief executive Mesfin Tasew, in an exclusive interview with Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation, said that preparatory work for construction in the 2024/25 fiscal year has been completed.

Farmers in the project area are being relocated to new housing, and the airline is arranging financing for the project, with the African Development Bank (AfDB) expected to facilitate the bulk of funding alongside Ethiopian Airlines’ own contribution.

The airport forms a central part of Ethiopian Airlines’ Vision 2035 strategy, which includes fleet expansion from 145 to 271 aircraft and the addition of new international routes, positioning the carrier as one of Africa’s leading aviation groups.