The budget allocated for the new Bishoftu Airport is equivalent to the cost of constructing eight different airports in various countries. Following the official launch of the project by Ethiopian Airlines—with a staggering investment of $12.5 billion—the massive budget and the projected annual passenger capacity have become a major point of discussion.
The cost the Ethiopian government has allocated for this project is comparable to the total funds used to build eight recently commissioned airports across the globe.
Comparative Scale of Global Projects
To illustrate the sheer magnitude of the Bishoftu project, consider the following examples:
Abu Dhabi (UAE): The modern Zayed International Airport, completed in 2024 to handle 46 million passengers, cost $3 billion.
Angola: The Agostinho Neto Airport, designed for 15 million passengers, also cost $3 billion.
India: Phase 1 of the Navi Mumbai International Airport, which handles 20 million passengers, cost $2.1 billion.
Saudi Arabia: The luxury Red Sea Airport, built recently to boost tourism, cost $1 billion.
Peru: The construction of Lima International Airport, which accommodates 30 million passengers annually, cost $2 billion.
India: The Noida Airport, designed for 12 million passengers, cost $800 million.
Qatar: The expansion of Hamad International Airport to accommodate an additional 12 million passengers was allocated $1.2 billion.
Cambodia: The Techo Takhmao expansion project, enabling the transport of an additional 15 million passengers, was completed for $1.1 billion.
The Grand Total
In total, these eight international projects handle approximately 140 million passengers per year at a combined cost of roughly $12.6 billion. In comparison, the Ethiopian government has allocated $12.5 billion specifically for the construction of the Bishoftu Airport.
As one of the most significant and high-budget projects recently announced, the completion of Bishoftu Airport is expected to not only solidify Ethiopia's long-standing dominance in the African aviation industry but also position the nation among the top global aviation giants.
