NAIROBI: Ethiopian Airlines has signed a deal for the design of a new $6 billion airport described as the biggest in Africa, state media reported.

The new hub will be able to handle 100 million passengers a year once completed in five years, Ethiopian Airlines chief executive Mesfin Tasew was quoted as saying at a press conference on Friday.

He said Ethiopian Airlines had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Dubai-based consulting company Dar to develop the design for the airport, which will have four runways.

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It will be built in Bishoftu, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) southeast of the capital Addis Ababa, and stretch across 35 square kilometres (13.5 square miles), he said.

“The first phase includes the construction of the airport facility with a capacity of 60 million passengers per year and the completion of phase two of the airport project will grow to handle more than 100 million passengers per year,” Mesfin said, according to state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate.

Dar director of operations Tariq Al-Qanni, who was at the press conference, said it would be the biggest airport in Africa once complete, Fana reported.

“The scope of the agreement is for Dar to develop the detailed design of the new airport and at the same time to assist Ethiopian Airlines in the selection of the contractors who will build the new airport facilities,” Mesfin added. Ethiopian Airlines is the largest in Africa, last month reporting revenue of $7 billion for its 2023/24 financial year, carrying 17.1 million passengers.

Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, currently the airline’s hub, has a maximum capacity of 25 million passengers a year.