The Hawassa Airport project was proposed in 2013 with feasibility studies taking place in 2014. The project took off in 2015 under the Ethiopian Airports Enterprise. It involved the construction of a 3 km asphalt runway, taxiway, apron, and passenger terminal.
Construction took just under a year to be completed and the airport is currently operational. Also notable, Ethiopian Aviation Academy (EAA) offers aviation training services at the airport.
Reported in July 2014
Ethiopia seeks bidders to construct Hawassa Airport
The Ethiopian Airports Enterprise (EAE) is looking for bidders who will construct the Hawassa airport. The design work was carried out by two firms and comprised an airfield; designed by the Transport Construction Design Enterprise (TCDE), and a terminal designed by the private consulting firm, Bereket Tesfaye Consulting Architects and Engineering. The design work is already complete.
The designed terminal will be a five-story building that will comprise a VIP lounge, security checkpoints, baggage handling, a restaurant, a kitchen, and a roof terrace. Hawassa is the capital city of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People’s Region (SNNPR). The region, in 2005, received a total of 631 thousand tourists, both local and international.
The area is accessible by roads and the government seeks to capitalize on the revenue to be received since most of the tourists visiting the area are able to afford air transport. This number is expected to double once the airport is completed.
The enterprise recently awarded Afro-Tsion a US$29m contract for the construction of the Jinka Airport. The design of the airport was done at a cost of US$52,000.The construction of the terminal and airfield is set to start this year, with the total cost of the project to be determined after the bidding process is concluded.
Reported in December 2014
Ethiopia to build 3 new airports at a cost of US$ 64.5m
The Ethiopian Airports Enterprise (EAE) is planning to construct three new airports in Ethiopia. The project is expected to cost US$ 64.5m.
A contract of agreement was signed Friday last week between EAE, Yotek Construction, Akir Construction, and the Ethiopian Road Construction Corporation for the construction of airports in Hawassa, Robe Goba, and Shire.
Civil works for the project are to start this week with the construction of runways in the first phase of the project. The construction of the terminals of Hawassa and Robe Goba will then begin before the year ends and Shire’s terminal will be constructed next year. The airports are to be ready within a period of two and a half years.
YOTEK will be charged with the construction of the Hawassa Airport at an initial cost of US$ 23m. The Robe Goba airport will be constructed by Akir Construction at a cost of US$25m while Shire Airport will be constructed by Ethiopian Road Construction Corporation at a cost of US$ 21m.
The three airports will contribute significantly to the economy of the regions since they are well known for tourism and business. Ethiopia has also planned to undertake other construction projects and has issued a sovereign bond worth US$1bn in order to finance the construction of the Grand Renaissance Dam – an undergoing project.
