Recently, the China Communications Construction China Road and Bridge Consortium, composed of China Road and Bridge Engineering Co., Ltd. and its parent company China Communications Construction Group Co., Ltd., officially won the bid and signed the contract package for the earthwork of the runway area of the Ethiopia Bishovtu International Airport project. This project is a pioneering project for Ethiopia's planned construction of a new international aviation hub, marking another important breakthrough in the deep participation of Chinese infrastructure enterprises in major infrastructure construction in East Africa.

Bishovtu International Airport is located approximately 40 kilometers southeast of Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, and is owned by Ethiopian Airlines Group. The project is planned to be constructed in stages, with the first phase scheduled to be put into operation in 2029, covering core facilities such as two parallel runways, terminal buildings, aprons, and connecting lines. After the completion of the new airport, it will effectively alleviate the operational pressure of the existing Bole International Airport, significantly enhance Ethiopia's hub position in Africa and even the global aviation network, and form a strong driving force for the development of local transportation logistics, international trade, and tourism.

The contract package awarded this time belongs to the pilot project of airport construction and is the largest earthwork part among them. The consortium will be responsible for the earthwork and geotechnical engineering of the north and south runway areas, mainly including key foundation tasks such as surface cleaning, earthwork excavation and backfilling, and temporary drainage system construction. The smooth implementation of this stage will lay a solid foundation for the subsequent construction of the entire pavement, foundation, and ancillary facilities.

This project is an important achievement of China Road and Bridge Corporation actively implementing the "Three Six" strategic framework of China Communications Construction Corporation and promoting the implementation of the five comprehensive, four major, and five type strategic deployment. During the project development process, the company fully leveraged the leading role of the platform and successfully implemented the platform bureau institute collaborative cooperation model, demonstrating the systematic advantages of CCCC Group in integrating internal resources and promoting major projects. Keywords: the Belt and Road, the Belt and Road project news

Ethiopia is an important cooperative country along the the Belt and Road. The Bishovtu Airport Project is also considered as a key project to promote Ethiopia's transportation modernization goals in the "2023-2032 Ten Year Development Plan". The signing and implementation of this contract further consolidates the brand influence of Chinese enterprises in the East African infrastructure market, and creates favorable conditions for subsequent participation in projects such as terminal buildings and air traffic control systems.Editor/Cheng Liting