Ethiopia’s $12.5 billion Bishoftu International Airport project is tilting towards Chinese construction companies, with no major independent U.S. contractor making the shortlist for the airport’s four major construction packages.
Ethiopian Airlines had in April completed the prequalification process, attracting companies and joint ventures from China, Europe, the Middle East, Türkiye, India and Russia.
Chinese companies secured 15 of the 33 positions on the shortlist, either independently or through joint ventures involving 10 groups.
Among the shortlisted Chinese firms are China Communications Construction Company, China Road and Bridge Corporation, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation and Beijing Urban Construction Group.
The four construction packages cover the main terminal and airport facilities, airfield works, supporting infrastructure and offsite transport links.
According to report, The only U.S.-based company represented is Connecticut-based Lane Construction Corporation, which is owned by Italy’s Webuild and appears in three packages through a joint venture involving Webuild and Türkiye’s IC İçtaş.
Contract awards have yet to be made, with the selection process now expected to move into January 2027.
Ethiopian Airlines initially planned to select contractors in August 2026, but the deadline was pushed back after bidders requested additional time to prepare proposals and arrange financing.
Ethiopian Airlines Group Chief Executive Officer, Mesfin Tasew, said the delay would not affect the overall timeline for the project.
With Chinese companies strongly positioned in the construction race, the United States is seeking to expand its involvement beyond civil engineering and construction.
U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for the Middle East and Africa, Mark Mitchell, said in July that the Commerce Department had been actively working to secure stronger American participation in the project.
Washington has highlighted potential opportunities for U.S. companies including Boeing and GE Aerospace in aircraft, engines, aviation technology and other equipment needed for Ethiopian Airlines’ expansion.
In April, Ethiopian Airlines agreed to purchase six additional Boeing 787-9 aircraft, bringing its total number of 787-9 aircraft on order to 20.
The financing of the airport remains another major issue. Ethiopian Airlines plans to provide about 30 percent of the $12.5 billion project cost from its own balance sheet, leaving more than $9 billion to be raised externally.
Mesfin said lenders had expressed interest amounting to about $8.5 billion, although no final agreement covering the bulk of the external financing had been concluded.
The African Development Bank is serving as mandated lead arranger and has indicated that it could provide $500 million, subject to appraisal, while helping mobilise additional funds.
U.S. institutions, including the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation and the U.S. Export-Import Bank, as well as JPMorgan Chase, have also expressed interest in financing the project. Chinese lenders are equally engaged, with talks involving Bank of China, China Exim Bank, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and China Development Bank.
The Bishoftu airport, located south of Addis Ababa, is intended to relieve pressure on Bole International Airport, which handles about 25 million passengers annually. Its first phase is designed to accommodate 60 million passengers a year when it opens in 2030, while the full development is expected to handle up to 110 million passengers and 3.73 million metric tonnes of cargo annually, with parking for about 270 aircraft.
At an estimated cost of $12.5 billion, Bishoftu International Airport would become Africa’s most expensive aviation infrastructure project and one of the world’s largest airports by passenger capacity, making the competition for its construction contracts strategically significant for both China and the United States.
