The newly expanded Bole International Airport is officially inaugurated, along with the five-star Sky Light hotel owned by Ethiopian Airlines.

Inaugurating the two was Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) of Ethiopia, accompanied by Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), along with other government officials and dignitaries.

In this expansion, the airport facility has seen its size tripled, now able to accommodate up to 22 million passengers every year. Said to be refurbished with ultra-modern amenities and high tech systems, the expanded terminal now includes improved baggage handling mechanisms, latest technology security equipment and tilting tray sorter systems. The expansion project cost $363 million.

The Skylight Hotel, on the other hand, which is only a five-minute drive from the Bole International Airport, is a luxury hotel constructed at a cost of $65 million. Resting on 40,000 square meters, the five star hotel is ready to receive guests to its 373 rooms, 27 of which are presidential and executive suites. It also holds four restaurants, and a conference and banquet hall that can accommodate up to two thousand guests at a time. Ethiopian Airlines built the hotel so it might serve to “welcome passengers during transits, stopovers or technical delays, [in addition to] promoting Ethiopian tourism.” It has also been disclosed that the hotel will create 400 jobs.

It is to be noted that Ethiopian Airlines has been chosen best airline in Africa for seven years in a row, and is one of the fastest growing carriers on the face of the globe.

Sources: ENA, Twitter Page of the Office of the Prime Minister of Ethiopia