Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa will become a mega city in 20 years according to Alan Pardoe, Head of Marketing and Communications with Airbus, speaking at a press briefing held at the Sheraton Addis Hotel.

There are currently just 39 mega cities, hosting in excess of 10,000 long haul air passengers daily with this number expected to increase to 90 over the next 20 years he explained.

Ethiopia will need very large aircraft like the Airbus A380 as Addis Ababa becomes a mega city and Ethiopian Airlines grows requiring more new aircraft noted Pardoe.

Ethiopian is expected to order more long haul aircraft and is considering the Boeing Dreamliner aircraft and Airbus A330.

Africa is expected to see an average annual passenger growth rate of 5.7% fuelled by tourism, higher urbanization, regional business relationships, opportunities due to market liberalization, and an expanding middle class according to Airbus forecasts.

The growth rate projected for Africa surpasses the world average of 4.8% and far exceeds potential growth in the markets of the developed countries in Western Europe and North America according to Pardoe.

Airbus is prepared the most innovative and economically efficient range of aircraft to meet the needs of African airlines the expected growth in passengers over the coming years he said.

Source: The Reporter