A NEW multi-billion pound airport is set to open in the next few years – and will become the largest in Africa.
Bishoftu International Airport will welcome as many as 60million passengers a year.
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Located in Ethiopia, it is being backed by both the country’s flag carrier Ethiopian Airlines and the African Development Bank (AfDB).
It will be built in Bishoftu, which is around 28 miles from the capital Addis Ababa.
Plans were first announced for the airport back in 2018.
However, the design contract has now been awarded to Sidara, a Dubai-based engineering firm.
The mega airport will have four runways, with space for up to 270 aircraft.
While yet to be confirmed, it is likely to have more long-haul flights, with current routes to Ethiopia operating from London Heathrow.
Flights currently take just under eight hours, and are around £600 return.
The airport is expected to cost £4.5billion and open by 2029.
Initially capacity will be 17million, although this will jump to 60million by 2040.
It will replace the current Addis Ababa Bole International Airport which has a maximum capacity of 25million.
Not only that but it will take on some of the world’s biggest airports such as Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson and Beijing’s Daxing.
Mesfin Tasew, Chief Executive of Ethiopian Airlines Group. said: “It is a five-year project [that] will be finalised in 2029.
“It will be the biggest in Africa. Phase one alone will cost at least $6 billion.”
It will also boost the capacity of Ethiopian Airlines, who hopes to fly 20million passengers in the next year.
It also isn’t the only huge airport hoping to break records that is set to open.
The huge new Warsaw Solidarity Airport in Poland is set to open by 2032 with enough passengers to ‘take on Heathrow and Dubai‘ as airport hubs.
Set to cost £25billion, as many as 65million will be welcomed by 2060.
Here are a few other mega airports hoping to open across Europe.
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