The New Bole International Airport Terminal Due to Open in May 2001

The New Bole
International Airport Terminal Due to Open in May 2001

(March 2001 – EOW)

The $130 Million (1.05 Billion Birr)
Bole International Airport Expansion Project is entering its last phase
with the completion of the new runway and the terminal building.

Artist’s
Conception of the New Bole Terminal Building

This major expansion project that has
been in the plans since the early 80’s is hoped to help establish Addis
Ababa firmly as the aviation capital of Africa. The improved Bole
International Airport will have a 12-fold increase in capacity to handle
6-7 million passengers a year up from its current capacity of a mere
500,000 passengers a year.

The three-phase expansion project
consisted of a new 3.8 kilometer runway, a new 2-story international
terminal building and a control tower.

The new runway is designed to handle
B747 and Airbus A-340. The new runway that runs parallel to the existing
runway consists of 5 entrances and exit to the old runway that will now
serve as a taxi way. This part of the project is estimated to have cost
up to $30 million with Dar-al Handasah, a Lebanese company as a
consultant and Kajma Keanganam, a joint Korean and Japanese company as
the contractor.

The new terminal building that consists
of a parking garage, a shopping complex and restaurants is mainly a
steel structure and is estimated to have cost about $75 million. The
contractor is a Kuwaiti company. A British firm, Fitchner, is in-charge
of the project management.

Another $30 million will go to the
construction of the control tower and installation of electrical and
fire-fighting equipment. The contractor for this phase of the project is
a German company.

Major financers for this huge project
included: the African Development Bank, the Arab Development Bank, OPEC,
Nordic Development Fund and the Ethiopian government. It was also learnt
that only 1 or 2 Ethiopian engineering firms were involved in design and
construction in parts of this project. The issue of why more local
engineering and contracting firms were not represented has been raised
by Addis engineers and contracting firms.

Meanwhile, Ethiopian Airlines,
the national carrier is extending its wings to newer destinations such
as the Nordic countries. Observers have commented that the North-America
route the airlines entered a few years ago only has already established
it as a very competitive carrier not only for Ethiopian but also passengers
from other parts of Africa, the Gulf and the Indian sub-continent. The
completion of the whole project could not have come at a better time for
the airlines as it helps establish Addis Ababa a major international air
hub.