Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Africa’s biggest airport is being built in Ethiopia for $12.5 billion
Addis Ababa is Ethiopia’s capital with a population of around four
million, the 10th largest in Africa. Addis Ababa Bole International
Airport (ADD) is the main hub of Ethiopian Airlines, the state-owned flag
carrier and the largest airline in Africa, covering 150 destinations, but it
has already reached capacity. So, the airline is now investing in building a
new airport, Bishoftu International Airport (BIA), to boost the passenger
capacity to 60 million by 2030 to become a leading airline to connect African
skies, for both passengers and freight. The new airport is designed to serve mainly
transit passengers to, from, and within African countries, and compete with the
Middle Eastern hubs like Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi, and African airports, such
as Cairo, Nairobi, and Casablanca. To secure the land for the new airport, more
than 15,000 people from 36 square kilometers of agricultural land have been
displaced, who are said to be compensated and provided with 1,400 new homes in
total. But how many of them will find jobs in their new land? Also, at an elevation
of 1,900 meters above sea level, which requires extra power & thrust and reduced
payload capacity for takeoff and landing compared with airports at sea level, how
competitive will the new airport be?
Read the article and learn about Ethiopian Airlines' new bid for a new
hub airport in Africa.
No comments:
Post a Comment