Africa’s great airport race: Mega airports in Africa redefining global connectivity

A quiet but consequential contest is unfolding across Africa with governments pouring vast resources to build ultra-modern international airports that promise to redefine how the continent connects with the world.

Across the continent, dreams are turning into reality as countries upgrade existing airports and unveil ambitious projects to construct new ones that are designed not just to move passengers, but to signal arrival on the global stage.

The end game is clear: to capture trade routes, attract global airlines, tourism flows, and geopolitical relevance in an era where connectivity defines power and as Africa’s skies grow busier.

Ethiopia has its eyes set on having Africa’s biggest airport with the construction of the mega Bishoftu International Airport underway.

Designed to catalyse Ethiopia’s rise as a leading global air transport hub, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched the construction of the airport on January 10, 2026.

The mega project will be implemented in phases at a cost of 10 Billion USD with the first phase set to handle approximately 60 million passengers annually.

Upon completion, the airport will have the capacity of handling 110 million passengers annually, making it one of the largest and possibly the busiest in the continent.

Rwanda partnered with Qatar for the ambitious Bugesera International Airport, billed as a game-changing project and the crown jewel of African aviation industry.

Earmarked for completion in 2026, the facility will have a 130,000-square-meter main terminal building capable of handling 8 million passengers annually, with the capacity expected to rise to 14 million in subsequent years.

It will be Rwanda’s major international airport with Kigali International Airport remaining operational to handle special arrivals, some chartered flights, and a pilot training school.

Somalia placed a strategic bet on economic growth, global visibility, and regional dominance with the ambitious New Mogadishu International Airport.

The infrastructure project is designed to replace Aden Adde International Airport as the nation’s major international airport and serve as Somalia’s modern gateway to global markets, tourism, and investment.

Featuring longer runways, modern infrastructure and advanced facilities with greater capacity to handle cargo and more travellers, it is one of the most transformative infrastructure projects in Somalia’s post-civil war history.

Burkina Faso entered Africa’s great airport race with the construction of the iconic Donsin International Airport to ease the pressure on Thomas Sankara International Airport Ouagadougou and Bobo Dioulasso International Airport that dates back to the colonial era.

Originally conceived in 2004, the project was postponed severally due to political instability, including two coups.

It finally took off in 2021 at a cost of €220 million with a completion set for early 2026.

It features a terminal area of about 17,000 square meters capable of serving over one million passengers annually with the number set to increase in the subsequent years, a main runway stretching 3,500 meters (extendable to 4,000 meters to accommodate larger aircrafts), advanced control tower, solar energy installations and cargo terminals.

To meet the increasing demand for air transport, Sudan marshalled resources to construct the New Khartoum International Airport in Omdurman, 40 kilometers south of the capital.

With an initial passenger capacity of six million annually, the project is estimated to cost USD1.15 billion, with phase two and three seeing it expand to handle nine million and twelve million passengers annually respectively.

Upon completion, the airport will replace Khartoum International Airport, signalling Sudan’s arrival in the game.

As new airports take shape, existing ones are undergoing significant uprade to position them as leading aviation hubs.

Morocco: Preparing for the future today

Morocco recently approved a $1bn expansion of Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca.

The expansion will see the construction of a new terminal, parallel runway, extended taxiways, and enhanced infrastructure as part of Morocco’s Airports 2030 strategy and forms part of its preparations to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal.

Upon completion in 2029, the airport will have the capacity to handle 35 million passengers annually, a significant increase from the current 15 million.

Cairo Internal Airport which handled 28.97 passengers to emerge the continent’s busy airport is also undergoing significant expansion.

The USD 3.5 billion expansion strategy will see a new Terminal 4constructed with upgrades to existing terminals and cargo facilities.

Set for completion in late 2020s, the airport will be ale to handle up to 57 million passengers annually.

JKIA to anchor Kenya as the aviation capital of the region

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is scheduled for significant upgrade that will transform it into a modern transport hub, capable of handling more passengers and competing favourably as Africa great airports race takes shape.

President William Ruto announced in his New Year’s message that the government will fast-track the project to ease the pressure on JKIA.

According to KAA, the airport which was designed to handle 7.5 million passengers annually is stretched and handled approximately 8.6 million passengers in 2025, underscoring the need for urgent expansion.

The project will see the airport have the capacity to handle more than 15 million passengers annually.

South Africa: Resourced pumped to upgrade continent's busiest airports

South Africa is also pumping resources to expand two of the continent’s busiest airports: OR Tambo & Cape Town International Airports which handled 18.37 million and 10.37 million passengers respectively in 2025.