Ethiopia is building Africa's largest airport.

Written by: Ayman Ragab

Air travel between African cities often forces travelers to go outside the continent, via cities such as London, Paris or Dubai.

However, a new $12.5 billion airport being built in Ethiopia may change this situation, according to CNN Arabic.

The largest aviation project in the history of Africa

About 30 miles southeast of the capital Addis Ababa, construction began last January on a project that Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali described as “the largest aviation infrastructure project in the history of Africa.”.

Ethiopian Airlines, the continent's largest airline, is leading this project after its capacity was exceeded at the current base at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport.

Opening date: 2030

Bishoftu International Airport is planned to open in 2030, featuring two runways and a capacity of up to 60 million passengers annually, with plans to increase it to 110 million passengers, a figure that exceeds the number of passengers at the world’s busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which handled 106 million passengers in 2025.

The project is being managed by Ethiopian Airlines, the state-owned carrier that is the largest in Africa in terms of fleet size, number of passengers and revenue.

Difficulty in expanding Bole Airport

Addis Ababa is one of Africa's major aviation hubs, but Bole International Airport, the company's main base, is rapidly approaching its maximum capacity, with no room for expansion.

With the creation of a new airport focused primarily on transit flights, Ethiopian Airlines may be able to lead the race to connect African skies, which is one of the world's fastest-growing aviation markets.

The airport is also expected to benefit from untapped capacity in the continent's cargo sector, supporting the African Continental Free Trade Area, through infrastructure capable of handling 3.73 million tons of cargo annually.