Ethiopia plans new international airport

Existing city airport also to be expanded

Ethiopia plans to build a new international airport outside Addis Ababa, according to an announcement from the Ethiopian Airports Enterprise (EAE) in mid-March.

The EAE said that although the process is at an early stage, it has identified three potential sites for the new airport: Modjo which is 70km southeast of the capital; Dukem 30km southeast; and Tefi, about 40km due west.

The EAE plans to build the new airport to help the city's main airport, Bole International, cope with rapidly increasing traffic. The number of travellers passing through Bole, which is a hub for Gulf, East African and pan-African flights, is growing by 22 per cent annually and currently handles some 150 flights a day.

Separately, Bole airport is to expand with a $225 million loan from the Export-Import Bank of China (EXIM) with the work being carried out by China Communications Construction Company (CCCC).

Bole's existing passenger terminal will be expanded allowing it serve around 22 million commuters each year, a significant increase from its current annual capacity of 6.5 million passengers.