Plans are starting to be finalized for a new international airport in Ethiopia, and it’s going to be a game changer not only for Ethiopian Airlines, but for the region.
In this post:
Addis Ababa airport capacity to quadruple
The government of Ethiopia has signed an agreement for the design of a new airport near Addis Ababa, which is expected to become the largest in all of Africa. The airport will have a capacity for up to 100 million passengers annually, and will feature four runways, with parking for 270 aircraft (presumably many at remote stands).
While plans for the new airport were first announced in 2018, progress has been slow, in part due to the pandemic. However, the country is now moving forward with these plans, and Dubai-based firm Sidara is tasked with designing the airport. National carrier Ethiopian Airlines is onboard with the move, and expects the new airport to open in 2029.
The new airport will be located in Bishoftu, around 30 miles from Addis Ababa, but there are of course plans for there to be easy transit between the city and the airport.
The airport will open in phases, and the first phase alone is expected to cost $6 billion, and it will be funded through loans. It’s not clear in what year the airport would be able to accommodate 100 million passengers annually.
While the government claims to be committed to this project, it’s worth emphasizing that plans can still change, especially at such an early stage, before the design has even been finalized.
Ethiopian Airlines desperately needs a new hub
Ethiopian Airlines is by most metrics Africa’s most successful global airline. The airline does an amazing job providing connectivity to its home country, and has also been pretty consistently profitable, especially for the region.
Ethiopian Airlines’ passenger experience is fine (though rather inconsistent), but the weak point of the experience is the carrier’s current hub, Bole Addis Ababa International Airport (ADD). The airport simply isn’t designed to handle the amount of traffic that there is during peak periods, so the airline sure could use a new setup.
It’s interesting to point out just how big the carrier’s growth plans seemingly are. Ethiopian Airlines carried 17 million passengers last year, the current airport has an annual capacity of 25 million passengers, and the goal is for the new airport to have a capacity for 100 million passengers annually.
Just to put that into perspective, the current Dubai International Airport (DXB) has a capacity of 100 million passengers annually, while the plan is for the new Dubai World Central Airport (DWC) to eventually have a capacity of 260 million passengers.
So the goal is for Ethiopia’s new airport to have the same capacity as the current primary airport in Dubai. Ethiopian Airlines does have considerable growth plans, particularly with wide body aircraft, as the airline has recently ordered more Airbus A350s, Boeing 777Xs, and more. However, the Star Alliance carrier’s current order book gets it nowhere close to needing this level of capacity.
Bottom line
Ethiopia is planning to open a new airport near Addis Ababa, with the first phase being ready in five years, by 2029. This new airport will become Ethiopian Airlines’ new home, paving the way for significant growth. The current airport has the capacity for 25 million passengers annually, while the new airport would quadruple that capacity to 100 million.
I’m very curious to see how this project plays out. There’s still a lot that can change, and for that matter, airport construction projects are rarely punctual. Regardless, this is something to look forward to…
What do you make of the plans for a new airport in Addis Ababa?
does anyone know the exact location in the Bishoftu area?
my wife has a house there. the existing air force base sounds like a good choice, since it probably has at least a 10000 foot runway.
Stopping in Milan or Dublin to refuel to get to the USA is a BUZZ KILL. The airport itself is constant chaos and hopefully the new airport will improve. I fly Ethiopian business class at least 10 times a year and have a noticed an improvement the past few months on long haul flights but nothing compared to Qatar in terms of both seat and service. Long ways to go but they are trying and their connections to African are outstanding.
Guys, this is Africa. I truly hope nobody here believes that a new mega airport will open in Ethiopia in 2029. Maybe something in 2039, but 100 milloin pax? Nah, bad joke.
@Daniel from Finland - Population numbers work differently in the rest of the world. UAE has a population of 10 million, they are building an airport to accommodate 230 million. I live in a major population center in Asia. If I say that I cross the equivalent of the entire population of Finland and Sweden combined for my daily commute to work, I am not joking..
@VJ
But when you factor in how much of that population is too poor to afford bus fare, let alone inter-continental airfare, then you get right back to reality.
In 2008, three new airports were scheduled to open in 2011: Blaise Diagne (Dakar), Argyl (St Vincent) and Berlin. All were late, but Dakar was the first to open and we all know how well the construction of BER went!!
I get the location, and great if you are a transit passenger. But the last thing I want after a 13 hour IAD - ADD flight is a 30 mile drive to the city. No matter what they do to improve transportation, it's gonna be a cluster eff. Look at the rail system the Chinese built around the city. It's junk. And God help you if there is any unrest outside the city. Speaking of which, the Chinese must be salivating over the chance to get their hooks into this.
Came to page @SeanM but he is already here.
unless delta chooses to fly here, what's the point?
The main criterion for selecting Bishoftu as the site for the new airport is that it is close enough to the city but at a significantly lower altitude (approx. 2000 ft ASL lower than Bole). Straight up, that gives some of the current fleet (and certainly the future A350-1000s) the ability to hit North America nonstop from Addis with a commercially viable payload.
I'm not sure if the site selected is colocated with the...
The main criterion for selecting Bishoftu as the site for the new airport is that it is close enough to the city but at a significantly lower altitude (approx. 2000 ft ASL lower than Bole). Straight up, that gives some of the current fleet (and certainly the future A350-1000s) the ability to hit North America nonstop from Addis with a commercially viable payload.
I'm not sure if the site selected is colocated with the current Debre Zeit Air Force Base also in Bishoftu, but if so that potentially also gives a more realistic view of the timelines. I'd be surprised to see this ready before 2035 though either way, and even that is optimistic. Ethiopia is basically bankrupt as a nation and fighting an expensive war. Certainly, the funding for this project will largely be provided from Ethiopian Airlines Aviation Holding Group itself (which is a combination of the airport company and the airline - and is already the largest forex earner for the nation), but like most infrastructure projects there it will take a lot longer than anticipated.
This was my first question so I appreciate you answering it right off the bat. The fact that the current airport is too high in elevation for the planes to reach the U.S. nonstop is a big issue, because we aren't that far away technically, which also means they can't reach a lot of other major destinations around the world either, and Africa can really use a truly global airline, so I hope this new...
This was my first question so I appreciate you answering it right off the bat. The fact that the current airport is too high in elevation for the planes to reach the U.S. nonstop is a big issue, because we aren't that far away technically, which also means they can't reach a lot of other major destinations around the world either, and Africa can really use a truly global airline, so I hope this new airport fixes that issue and Ethiopian can compete against the giants.
All of these carriers need to carefully reflect on their growth potential.
Emirates is big an growing, but will it be able to become 3x the size? I doubt it. Same w/ Ethiopian. Just because these airlines are growing today, doesn't mean it will always be that way. Look at the stall that US airlines have had.
If Emirates was allowed to fly where they want with the capacity they want, they'd already be twice the size.
I hope Ethiopia is not too ambitious and bullish on the project: Just start out small and gradually expand it over a decade in order to pay off the debts/ expenses. It should learn a lesson from Sri Lanka whose previous government defaulted on Chinese loan to finance its infrastructure development. In the end, China obtained a 99 year lease on the strategic port in Colombo to keep an eye on nuclear powered India. UAE...
I hope Ethiopia is not too ambitious and bullish on the project: Just start out small and gradually expand it over a decade in order to pay off the debts/ expenses. It should learn a lesson from Sri Lanka whose previous government defaulted on Chinese loan to finance its infrastructure development. In the end, China obtained a 99 year lease on the strategic port in Colombo to keep an eye on nuclear powered India. UAE and Saudi Arabia can expand their development projects because they live off constant reliable stream of petroleum income.
Ben, when and where is your next visit to Africa?
He just visited the Singita property in Zimbabwe fairly recently.
I could see this working, as the location of Addis Ababa is a practical choice as a transit hub between sub-Saharan Africa and points in Europe or Asia. You could even make a case for it as a transit point between Europe and Australia as it's only marginally longer than a trip via Singapore.
Not sure about your last sentence. Anybody who has been travelling through Singapore will never ever change that over others, certainly not an African stop.
They would definately consider it, if the prices were more competitive.
What?! You mean you actually enjoy the low Changi ceilings, the ridiculous carpets, the annoying at-the-gate security and the not-quite-top-notch lounges (perhaps the windowless QF First apart)? I'd much rather transit via HKG or DOH than SIN thank you.
@TMT
Agree with HKG, DOH and many more but not one African. If you didn't until now, keep it like that!
@VINOD,
Not me.
@Nelson
Maybe you should actually visit an African country before portraying your bias.
@ GGZED
Don't know from where you are but as a European one I've been in A LOT of african countries. Last time I was in that continent I promised myself any next one I'll pay someone to go there. And for the record, my last time was two years ago and I'd HAD to stay there two years, so I know about that mentality.