After more than three and a half years under construction and costing USD3.76million (ETB68.4million), the new passenger terminal at Jigjiga's "Garad Wilwal" Airport, Somali Regional National State, was finally inaugurated on 24 November 2012 by SRNS President, Abdi Omer Mohammed. The airport falls under the Ethiopian Airports Enterprise's jurisdiction.
Located in Jigjia, 660km due East of the capital Addis Ababa, and named after a known clan leader, the spacious and modern new passenger terminal was built in two phases is expected to encourage stronger socio-economic and
political ties to its eastern neighbouring countries of Somaliland (Somalia) and
Djibouti.
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| Jigjiga's "Garad Wilwal" Airport on Ethiopian Airlines network |
Construction work was carried out by Ethiopian contractors Asmelash & Sons Construction Company with the design work being done by the National Consultancy Company. The airport's 2'400m x 45m runway (03/21), taxiway and apron construction were finished three years ago.
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| Jigjiga Airport Rendering |
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| Jigjiga Airport TerminalCarpark (DireTube) |
The passenger terminal has the capacity to handle 176 passengers at peak hours of operation, with various facilities including airport administrative offices, restaurants, shops, offices for various airlines, restaurants, duty free shops, banking service, traditional clothes shops and other services.
The completed airport is now expected to help boost tourism to the nearby Babile natural rock formations, and ancient historical artefacts in Harar city, as well as the Somali Regional State’s immense Agro industry, whilst enhancing the development of the region in particular and the country in general.
Ethiopian Airlines currently links Jigjiga with Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, Gode and Kabri Dar.
The Ethiopian Airports Enterprise currently operates 17 international airports across Ethiopia and plans by the end of the Growth and Transformation Plan to increase the number of its international airports to 21.
Shiferaw Alemu, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ethiopian Airports Enterprise (EAE), which has been in existence for a decade, said it’s currently striving to complete in the current Ethiopian Fiscal Year 2012/13, some six upgrading and expansion projects around the country at a cost of more than USD110million (ETB2billion).