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    East Africa: U.S. Pledges Support for $10bn Airport Project in Ethiopia, Considered Trump’s First Major Horn of Africa Initiative

    OneAfricaYTBy No Comments3 Mins Read
    East Africa: U.S. Pledges Support for $10bn Airport Project in Ethiopia, Considered Trump's First Major Horn of Africa Initiative

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    The United States has pledged support for the construction of a $10 billion international airport in Ethiopia, in what marks President Donald Trump’s first major business initiative in the Horn of Africa.

    U.S. Senior Advisor for Africa, Massad Boulos, announced the commitment during a recent visit to Ethiopia ahead of the United Nations General Assembly. He confirmed that the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) is involved in the project and working in collaboration with Boeing on initiatives linked to Ethiopian Airlines and other ventures across Africa, Business insider Africa reported.


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    The planned Bishoftu International Airport, located 40 kilometres south of Addis Abeba, will be built in phases. The first phase is expected to accommodate 60 million passengers annually, with expansion plans to increase capacity to 110 million passengers and 3.73 million tonnes of cargo per year. Groundwork is scheduled to begin in late 2025, with completion set for November 2029.

    Once completed, Bishoftu International Airport will be the largest and most expensive airport project on the continent, surpassing Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport in scale and handling capacity. The facility is designed with four runways, an integrated airport city, and the capacity to serve 100 million passengers annually, placing it on par with or above Cape Town International Airport, which was recognised with a Skytrax World Airport Award in 2025.

    The project will cover 34 square kilometres and is expected to ease congestion at Bole International Airport, which will continue to handle domestic flights. The airport city will include hotels, shopping centres, and recreational facilities, further supporting Ethiopian Airlines’ growth as Africa’s largest carrier and strengthening Ethiopia’s position as a regional aviation hub.

    It was reported that Mesfin Tasew, Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO, said that the new Bishoftu International Airport is expected to commence international flight operations by 2030, after the completion of construction in five years.

    Mesfin noted that preparations for the project were finalized to start the construction in the 2018 Ethiopian fiscal year. He added that housing construction for the relocation of farmers displaced by the project is being finalized.

    In August 2025 the African Development Bank announced that it will contribute $500 million towards the financing of a new airport in Ethiopia.

    “The bank has itself earmarked up to $500 million, subject to board approval, to anchor the funding of this transformational regional integration project,” the development bank said in a statement.

    It was reported also the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has signed an agreement with Ethiopian Airlines Group to mobilize $8 billion for the construction of Bishoftu International Airport, which is set to become Africa’s largest airport upon completion.