Ethiopian Airports which joined Ethiopian Airlines Aviation Group in 2017 commenced the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport passenger terminal expansion project in November 2014 at a cost of USD 250 million. Due to additional work the project cost has escalated to USD 363 million.
The Chinese Construction firm, CCCC, is the contractor while the French Consulting firm ADPI is consultant of the project. The passenger terminal expansion building is designed by CPG, a renowned Singapore airport designing company. EXIM Bank of China has financed the project.
The expansion project comprises of three phases signed under two contracts. The first part is the expansion of the main passenger terminal from east and west side. The main terminal (Terminal II) which was inaugurated in 2003 has a designed capacity of handling six million passengers per annum. However, due to the steady growth of the national carrier, Ethiopian Airlines, currently the terminal is handling close to 11 million passengers. This has promoted the management of Ethiopian Airports to launch the massive expansion project which aims at increasing the capacity of the terminal to 22 million passengers. The existing terminal has a floor area of 48,000sqm and the expansion project will include the construction of 74,000sqm floor area.
Hailu Lemu, the expansion project lead engineer, told The Reporter that the east side of the expansion project which is one third of the expansion project has been completed and became operational. Two third of the project, the west side of the terminal is nearing completion. According to Hailu 80 percent of the civil work is completed on the west side. “Mechanical, electrical and plumbing work is being completed. The plumbing work includes sanitary, ventilation, and firefighting system,” Hailu said.
The floor tiles and painting works are being completed. The road network (access road) and parking lot construction is finalized.
The main terminal has three floors-ground floor, arrival and departure floor. The expansion project includes the installation of two escalators, eight elevators which can accommodate 208 passengers at a time, modern baggage handling system (BHS) and firefighting system. All the systems have been manufactured and installed at the new terminal.
The expansion project will provide 72 new checking counters and 21 boarding gates. According to Hailu 83 percent of the project (contract one) is completed. Work on the project will be finalized by June 2019. However, the expansion work on the main terminal (terminal two) will be inaugurated end of this month during the African Union heads of states assembly. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) is expected to cut the ribbon along with African leaders. Work on the expansion project is expedited so as to meet the deadline for the inauguration.
The second contract of the expansion project includes the construction of a VIP terminal and the expansion of terminal one (domestic and regional terminal). The construction of the VIP terminal commenced in September 2017. Hailu told The Reporter that the foundation and ground floor work has been completed and pillars are being erected. “The civil work will be completed after a year,” he said.
The VIP terminal will have two levels-on the ground floor where VIPs enter the terminal and will use elevators to go up to the second floor to board their planes. There will be three different access ways for diplomats, senior government officials and heads of states. The terminal, among other things, will have various saloons, press briefing room, conference room, restaurants, and cocktail ballroom. It will have its own parking lot and access road. The site is located at the old airport customs office a.k.a. Bole Gumruuk.
Hailu said work on the expansion of terminal one has commenced adding that it will be completed within two years.
Ethiopian Airlines has finalized the construction of a five-star hotel near its headquarters in Addis Ababa. The hotel named Ethiopian Skylight is built at a cost of USD 65 million.
Source: The Reporter