Sidara subsidiary Dar commissioned to design Ethiopia’s new USD 6 bn airport

Dubai-based Sidara’s engineering consultancy subsidiary Dar Al Handasah has signed an MoU with Ethiopian Airlines for the design of a new USD 6 bn airport, Reuters reported on Friday, citing comments made at a press conference with Ethiopian Airlines’ CEO Mesfin Tasew.

What we know: Situated near Bishoftu, approximately 45 km from Addis Ababa, the airport will eventually be capable of handling 100 mn passengers each year and accommodating 270 aircraft.

More details: Dar is set to design the new airport facilities and help Ethiopian Airlines select contractors for the airport, Ethiopian state-affiliated broadcasting network Fana quoted Tasew as saying. The airport will cover 35 sq km and will have four runways. The construction of the facility will be split into two phases, with phase one expected to handle around 60 mn passengers annually, and phase two increasing capacity to over 100 mn passengers.

Making moves: Dar Al Handasah inked a five-year contract back in June with Kuwait’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to supervise construction and design of several facilities at Kuwait International Airport.