Ethiopia has justified its indeed the gateway to Africa after expanding the terminal of the Bole International Airport – making it the biggest in Africa – which can host 22 million passengers annually from its current 7 million.
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Funded and built by China for $363 million on 74,000 square meters of land, the state-of-the-art airport terminal was inaugurated by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed with the help of African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat.
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The airport, which is the main hub of state carrier Ethiopian Airlines, was complemented with a $65 million 5-star Skylight Hotel which is only five minutes drive away. Equipped with 373 rooms, 4 restaurants, banquet hall and other facilities built on a 40,000 square meters of land, the luxury hotel was built by Ethiopian Airlines.
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Currently, Africa’s biggest carrier, Ethiopian Airlines operates 111 planes and currently flies to more than 119 international passenger and cargo destinations, with over 61 of those in Africa alone.
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It has secondary hubs in Togo and Malawi, and has resuscitated non-operational airlines including Zambia’s, and also collaborated with airlines in Chad and Mozambique.
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The multi-award winning airline, with its modernized fleet, new aircraft maintenance hangars, and world-class in-flight catering facility has over the years experienced rapid growth, increased profitability, and made an outstanding contribution to aviation development in Africa, registering an average growth of 25% in the past seven years.
In 2016, the airline reported a net profit of $265 million. The results reflected an 18
Some data was culled from: face2faceafrica
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