Africa's brand new four runway airport will be continent's largest and cost £9.1bn

A huge international airport being built in East Africa is set to become the continent’s largest. The Bishoftu International Airport (BIA) is a colossal transport infrastructure project underway near the town of Bishoftu, Ethiopia.

Locared some 25 miles from the capital, Addis Ababa, the project was launched partly to reduce pressure on the nearby Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, which has already been expanded, whilst also markedly boosting the nation’s tourism opportunities. Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) is leading the design of the vast project. State-owned Ethiopian Airlines is responsible for around 30% of the funding, with the rest provided by international lenders.

Ethiopa’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed toured the site on Monday, June 15, with his office saying it is taking shape thanks to round-the-clock construction work, according to the state-affiliated Fana Media Corporation.

The plan is for the new travel hub to be built in phases. The initial goal is for it to accommodate 60 million passengers per year by 2030. That alone would put BIA well ahead of rival airports in Africa in terms of annual passenger capacity.

OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, is often described among Africa’s biggest airports, handling some 28 million passengers per year.

Cairo International Airport (CAI) is also among the continent’s biggest and busiest flight hubs, with around 26 million passengers per year.

The African Development Bank (AfDB), a major lender involved in the project, said the aim is “ultimately scaling up to 110 million at full development in later phases”. The plan is for it to eventually have four runways.

The official groundbreaking ceremony took place on January 10 marking the beginning of prelimary construction works. Reporting on the event at the time, Reuters said the project was initially set to cost $10 billion in total (around £7.4billion), but the estimate at that time was reportedly $12.5billion (around £9.1bn).

Qatar’s Civil Aviation Authority suggested it could be as much as $12.7billion (£9.2bn) at the time.

The airport will also be connected via a 38 km (23.6-mile) railway to both the capital and Bole International Airport, Railway Gazette reports.

In addition to the runways and terminals, the works may eventually include the construction of hotels, shopping malls, as well as commercial complex buildings, previous reports suggested.

The first phase is planned to be completed by the end of the decade.