Anticipates to manage foreign airports
The Ethiopian Airports would partially open the new passenger terminal built at a cost of USD 345 million at the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport.
Ethiopian Airports CEO Tewodros Dawit told The Reporter that his company would open the east wing of the new terminal next week. Tewodros said the Addis Ababa Bole International Passenger Terminal Expansion project will be inaugurated in January 2019. “The new terminal would be fully operational in December or January 2019,” he said.
Ethiopian Airports is undertaking a major expansion work on the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport passenger terminal at cost of 345 million dollars. The Chinese construction firm, CCCC, commenced work on the project in December 2015 and completion was originally slotted for January 2018.
The passenger terminal expansion building is designed by CPG, a renowned Singapore airport designing company. The supervision work is being conducted by a French consulting firm, ADPI.
The passenger terminal expansion work includes the construction of a new building on both the left and right wing of the existing terminal II with a floor area of 74,000 square meters. The existing terminal floor area is 48000 square meters.
When the existing passenger terminal II (international flight) was inaugurated in 2003 it was reported that it can handle six million passengers per year. But, the airport is now overwhelmed by more than nine million passengers.
Ethiopian Airports has merged with Ethiopian Airlines Aviation group ten months ago. Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Tewolde Gebremriam told The Reporter that the project was delayed due to various reasons. However, after the merger, work on the project has been expedited. “The problem with shortage of foreign currency and other related issues related to procurement has been resolved,” Tewolde said. He added that the opening of the new terminal would be a great relief for the national carrier.
When completed the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport passenger terminal would have a capacity to handle 25 million passengers per annum. The new terminal will have a vast commercial area for duty free shops, restaurants and cafes. It will have two escalators and eight elevators which can shuttle 218 passengers at a time. The terminal will have three levels-access way, arrival and departure levels. It will be connected with the domestic terminal allowing passengers coming from international flights to transfer to domestic flights.
The expansion project includes the construction of access bridges with a total length of 560 meters and a height of 13 meters. A vast parking lot which can accommodate more than 2500 cars will also be built. A parking building with five floors will be constructed in the future in a separate project.
In related developments Ethiopian Airports is under preparation to start administering foreign airports. Tewodros told The Reporter that Ethiopian Airports is planning to bid and take over other airports in Africa with management contract. “A department that works on this project has been established and the required personnel are being trained and assigned to manage the task,” he said.
