The Ethiopian flag carrier, the Ethiopian Airlines has been serving as Ethiopian winged diplomat in promoting the country and enhancing people to people relations. The airliner has overcome so many defamatory allegations throughout its history, but, the company keeps climbing the ladder of success and become the beacon of Africa and the black people at large.
Ethiopian, with its decorated achievements, has taken the responsibility to represent the nation in various occasions, and the group has done it well.
It has been putting the bar high in terms of all the expected service provision qualities that the industry requires. The Ethiopian has been an icon not only for Ethiopia, but for all Africa in order to promote Pan Africanism and to achieve its objectives of serving the people with Ethiopian hospitality and touch.
The airlines is committed to fulfill its dream of becoming one of the biggest and the best air transport providers across the world. Having joined and become a member of major alliances, like the Star Alliance, the company has registered tangible accomplishments to live up to its dream.
Besides, awarded as the best airlines in Africa several times, the group has not stopped its effort to exceed it quality and service to its highest end. The Ethiopian Airlines has shown it tireless effort to expand its facilities not only in Ethiopia but also in Africa by establishing overseas investments with some African air transport providers like Malawi, Zambia and Togo Airlines.
The Airlines Group has also planned to set a ten-year plan, which is called Vision 2035 so that it will be one of the competitive, major and high- valued airlines in the world. To achieve its goals, the Ethiopian Airlines Group has planned to construct the largest airport in Africa in the coming few years.
To this end, the Ethiopian has already started its journey to meet the set objectives, and lately the group has signed an official agreement with the International Company, DAR for the design work and supervision.
During the signing ceremony, both parties delivered speech and briefed the media. Mesfin Tassew, Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO, stated, "We have just signed an agreement between Ethiopian Airlines and DAR to cooperate in the development of a new mega airport which will be built in a place called Abusera, Bishoftu. And we are extremely pleased to sign this agreement."
The CEO also stated about the scope of the agreement saying DAR is responsible to design the detailed of the new airport and to assist Ethiopian Airlines in the selection of the contractors who will build the new airport facilities. The accord also incorporates supervision of the construction work from the beginning to the end.
This project, as to Mesfin, will cover an area of around 35 thousand meter square (35 kilometer square), and it will have two phases, and it will take five years to complete the project. The first phase includes the construction of the airport facility that will have the capacity of serving some 60 million passengers. And, when the second phase of the construction is finished, it lifts the capacity of the airport to handle more than 100 million passengers per year.
"The coming one year will be primarily used for the development of the detailed design of the airport and selection of the contractors who will build the new airport. It is a new chapter in the history of Ethiopian Airlines," Mesfin said.
Comparing the passenger capacity of the current Bole International Airport, and the new airport project, Mesfin mentioned that Bole airport has a maximum capacity of serving around 25 million passengers per year. The airlines growth in terms of number of passengers is more than 20% per year as it has transported 17.1 million passengers in the last fiscal year.
On the other hand, the new airport, which will be planned to build, will be the largest airport in Africa and it will enable Ethiopian Airlines to realize its Vision 2035, which targets to transport over 60 million passengers by 2035, the CEO noted.
"We are very excited to start this project and we hope that DAR will design an ultra-modern airport with all the modern facilities that modern airports have. I would like to take this opportunity to thank DAR to partner with Ethiopian Airlines in the development of this mega airport."
As the number of passengers going up, the existing Bole international Airport will be congested in matter of few years so that the construction of the new airport city is necessary to be meet the desired goals.
Speaking of the new airport project, Mesfin elucidated, "The new Airport will include a big terminal with over 270 aircraft parking spaces and four runways. At Bole Airport, we have only one runway that can be used at any one time, but the new airport will be provided with four parallel runways. At the same time, the facility will include all additional infrastructures that are needed to operate the airport like any other international airport. It will have aircraft maintenance facilities, catering facilities, and the fuel distribution system will be automatic."
Furthermore, the project will be connected to the capital city, Addis Ababa using rapid rail transport, and it is part of the project. In parallel with the railway, as to the CEO, we will also have highway road connectivity between the airport and Bole Airport. As the project is very big, the first phase requires up to six billion USD, but this is going to be determined after the detailed design by DAR.
Parallel to the project, the Airport has been working on resettlement as the project area is occupied by farmers, so they must be resettled and continues their life as it is. In addition, the Airport has received a pot of land from the regional government for the project.
"There is another project going on that will enable us to resettle the farmers and free up the land for the big project. We have also selected another consultant to design the new resettlement place. We are going to build residential houses and shops, shop facilities, and at the same time, agricultural facilities where the farmers to be displaced will earn their living."
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Speaking of the project finance, Mesfin elucidated that the Airlines Group has planned to finance the project with loan; adding that "There are many companies that have shown interest to finance this project, but that will be determined at a later stage."
By the same token, Tariq Al Qanni, Operation Director of DAR, on his part stated, "Ethiopian Airlines has been a pioneer in Africa and we all know that we all rely on Ethiopian Airlines for connectivity between many African countries, not only Ethiopia, to other continents around the world."
As to Tariq, DAR, the broader Sidara global network, the signature architect, Zaha Hadid, and the international interior designer, Pascal Watson, all were handpicked to meet the expectations and the challenges that are envisaged to design this project.
"We are a one-stop shop," said Tariq, adding "the way we deliver design is integrated, comprehensive. We manage the entire project with a single point of viability coupled with our vast experience in the design of airports from major aviation hubs" make us unique and suitable for the job.
"Since 2019, we have been working with Ethiopian Airlines on the delivery of many projects within the Bole International Airport premises, and we believe that this relationship had to conclude with this significant and remarkable project and with the signature of this contract. We promise Ethiopian Airlines that we will be delivering an iconic project."
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