New airport for Addis Ababa to unlock long haul efficiency for Ethiopian Airlines
Ethiopian Airlines currently faces operational restrictions due to the high elevation of its hub at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport.
The planned New Addis Ababa International Airport will be located at a lower altitude site, which should support greater operational efficiency for the airline, particularly on long haul routes to North America.
New Addis Ababa International Airport will quadruple capacity compared to existing city gateway
On 12-Aug-2024, Ethiopian Airlines Group released new details of the Mega Airport City project, to be developed at Abusera, roughly 40km south of the existing Addis Ababa Bole International Airport.
Once complete, the New Addis Ababa International Airport is planned to quadruple capacity compared to Bole Airport.
The first phase of the new airport, scheduled to be completed in 2029, will deliver initial capacity of 60 million passengers p/a and also enable more efficient operations for airlines thanks to its location at a lower elevation than Bole Airport.
Existing Bole Airport has 'unique operational challenges for aircraft'
Ethiopian Airlines has noted that Bole Airport is "situated at one of the world's most elevated locations", which presents "unique operational challenges for aircraft".
Bole Airport has an elevation of 2,333m, according to Airportdata.com, resulting in restricted aircraft performance due to the lower air density.
Ethiopian has not detailed the elevation of the Abusera site, but it did state that the new airport will be "positioned at a lower elevation" than Bole Airport.
Ethiopian is currently required to make refuelling stops on certain long haul routes
Ethiopian's long haul operations from Bole are particularly impacted by the high altitude, as the performance restrictions result in reduced maximum aircraft take off weights. This in turn requires the airline to make refuelling stops on certain routes, most notably on westbound sectors to North America.
According to CAPA - Centre for Aviation and OAG schedules data for the week commencing 12-Aug-2024, examples of Ethiopian's technical stops (sectors without local traffic rights) include serving Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Toronto Pearson International Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport via Rome Fiumicino Airport.
Ethiopian Airlines network, North America East Coast, week commencing 12-Aug-2024
Moving to the new, lower altitude airport from 2029 should enable Ethiopian to serve these long haul, trans Atlantic markets more efficiently by allowing higher aircraft take off weights when departing Addis Ababa.
The new airport has the potential to enable more convenient services by reducing or eliminating the need for additional refuelling stops and reducing the total travel time for passengers.