ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopian Airlines will start constructing a new $5 billion airport later this year, its chief executive officer was quoted as saying on Wednesday, as the rapidly-expanding carrier outgrows capacity at its current base in Addis Ababa. "Bole Airport is not going to accommodate us; we have a beautiful expansion project. Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa has a passenger capacity of about 19 million passengers annually. The Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation quoted Tewolde as saying construction will start in the next six months. State-owned Ethiopian Airlines, which competes with large Middle East carriers to connect long-haul passengers, has built a patchwork of African routes from its hub in Addis Ababa to fly customers toward expanding Asian markets.

Source: Ethiopian News January 15, 2020 14:26 UTC