Location selection for new international airport to be known by end of Ethiopian year

The final location for a new international airport outside of Addis Ababa is expected to be selected by the end of the current Ethiopian year. According to Ethiopian Group CEO Tewolde Gebre Mariam, the officials selected a location from six possible sites on the road to Adama Town.
“Airport development takes a long time; finding the right location and then accommodating residents in that specific area, we want all this done professionally, if there are some that will be displaced, we need to build a new location and relocate the people,” Tewolde said.
Two criteria were set for the new location, one to be relatively close to Addis Ababa and two to have a lower altitude than the capital city.
“Looking at these criteria, south on the road to Adama has been found to be favorable. Addis Ababa’s altitude is 2,400 feet, and the location mentioned is around 1,900. This will enable us to fly directly from Addis Ababa to Washington DC without having to refuel in Dublin which is what is done today,” he said.
The new airport will have four runways; the current airport has only one runway. The facility will also have the capacity to serve 80 million passengers yearly. Regarding the expansion on the current airport in Addis Ababa, the east wing of the expansion is expected to give service the coming summer, it was stated.
Ethiopian Airlines continues to be is the fastest growing Airlines in Africa. Ethiopian is currently implementing a 15-year strategic plan called Vision 2025 that will see it become the leading aviation group in Africa with seven business centers: Ethiopian Express & Ancillary Services; Ethiopian International Services; Ethiopian Cargo Services; Ethiopian MRO Services; Ethiopian Aviation Academy; ET In-flight Catering; and Ethiopian Ground Services.