China Eximbank pledges to finance the Hassan Gouled Aptidon International Airport and Ahmed Dini Ahmed International Airport Construction Projects in Djibouti

According to Reuters reporting, on 20 January 2015, President of Djibouti Ismaël Omar Guelleh laid a foundation stone for construction of two new airports: the Hassan Gouled Aptidon International Airport and Ahmed Dini Ahmed International Airport. The total cost of building these two airports is $599 million USD. Some sources suggest that China Eximbank offered financial support for this the project, while others identify CCECC itself as the financier; however, is is unclear how this project was ultimately financed. In 2015, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) signed implementation contracts for these two airports. Dijbouti's government launched the construction of the Ali-Sabieh International Airport and Seven Brothers Islands' Airport on January 21, 2015. However, on 24 October 2017, the Government of Djibouti announced that it would be re-tendering the contracts. CCECC was allowed to participate in the re-tender but had "no exclusivity", according to the chairman of Djibouti's Ports and Free Zones Authority (DPZA), Aboubaker Omar Hadi. Foundation stones for the two new airports were laid in early 2015, but evidently the process has been waylaid. No reason was given for the move to re-tender. The first airport, named Hassan Gouled Aptidon International Airport after Djibouti’s first president, is located in Ali-Sabieh, 25 km south of the capital. It will reportedly be capable of catering for 1.5 million passengers and 100,000 tons of air cargo per year, and accommodating all modern commercial aircraft including the giant Airbus 380. It was expected to be operational by 2018. The current expected completion date is 31 December 2020. The second airport, Ahmed Dini Ahmed International Airport, named after the former prime minister, is located in the north of Djibouti and is designed to handle up to 767,400 passengers per year. It was expected to open its doors in 2016. The two new airports were expected to create approximately 2,000 jobs during construction and operation. It is also expected to be completed by 31 December 2020.

Additional details

1. As of July 2023, there is no official evidence of commitment or fund disbursement/implementation for this project. Therefore, the project is set to Pipeline: Pledge for the time being.

Number of official sources

11

Number of total sources

21