WORK has started on an enormous airport which once completed will be the biggest in Africa.
Bishoftu International Airport (BIA) will welcome as many as 110million passengers when it’s fully operational.
Ethiopian Airlines Group has started work on Bishoftu International Airport which is around 25 miles southeast of Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.
The estimated cost is $12.5billion dollars or £9.31billion.
When the first phase is completed – which is set to be in 2030 – the airport will be able to handle 60million passengers.
At this time it will feature two parallel runways and a 660,000-square-meter terminal.
Later stages will see the airport expand to have four runways and parking for 270 aircraft.
Once fully built it will be able to accommodate 110million travellers – making it the biggest in Africa and one of the world’s largest airports.
It’s being designed by Zaha Hadid Architects which have done other projects like the London Aquatics Centre in Stratford, known for its wave-like roof.
Bishoftu International Airport will feature a large forecourt with gardens, water features and pedestrian pathways.
Outside will be covered areas filled with shops, coffee stops and restaurants.
Inside will be light thanks to its ‘daylight filtering ceiling’ and open-plan departure lounges.
There will be escalators to each level, as well as lots of greenery and plant walls.
Comfort is key as Ethiopian Airlines has estimated that up to 80 per cent of its passengers will move between destinations without leaving the airport.
Due to this, alongside the airport will be a new airside hotel.
It will have 350 rooms, dining and entertainment zones, and outdoor gardens and courtyards – and will make the transition to the airport easy for passengers.
Cristiano Ceccato de Sabata, director of aviation at Zaha Hadid Architects, said: ‘Bishoftu International Airport is a visionary project for Ethiopia and Africa as a whole. Airports bring people together and bridge national divides.
“ZHA is honored to be part its development—connecting every region of the continent as Africa’s global gateway.”
While yet to be confirmed, it is likely to have more long-haul flights – current routes to Ethiopia operating from London Heathrow.
Direct flights to Addis Ababa Bole International Airport take seven hours and 45 minutes and a one-way ticket in January starts from £441.
One-way flights from London Gatwick in January start from £338.
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The 22sqm airport will feature six runways – up from two – parallel to each other and will be built around the existing King Khalid International Airport.
It will approximately be the same size as Manhattan in New York – or twice the size of the city of Bath, in the UK.
And now the airport has moved into its construction phase.
The airport will be designed by Foster + Partners, a UK firm which is behind London‘s famous Gherkin.
Inside, travellers will be able to explore 4.6sqm of shops.
A lot of features in the airport are set to include high tech, such as climate-controlled lighted.
Travellers will have plenty of seating, indoor and outdoor spaces with greenery and vast glass windows, ideal for a bit of plane spotting.
The airport was announced back in 2022 and is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman‘s Saudi Vision 2030 – which is set to make Riyadh into a major hub for transport, trade and tourism.
It will eventually accommodate up to 120million passengers each year, which is then expected to rise to 185million by 2050.
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