Ethiopian Airlines and AfDB to build Africa’s largest airport

Ethiopian Airlines has signed an agreement with the African Development Bank (AfDB) to develop Africa’s largest airport—the Bishoftu International Airport in Ethiopia.

Image: Ella Nethersole

The project, worth $7.8 billion, aims to dramatically scale up Ethiopia’s aviation capacity, to handle 60 million passengers annually by 2040, up from the current 17 million.

The landmark MoU was signed between Mesfin Tasew, CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Group, and Nnenna Nwabufo, vice president for regional development, integration, and strategy at AfDB.

The new airport will be constructed in Abusera, near Bishoftu, in Ethiopia’s Oromia region.