Ethiopian Airlines and the African Development Bank (AfDB) have signed a partnership agreement to collaborate in the construction of Ethiopia's new international airport, according to the Ethiopian Ministry of Finance.

The partnership agreement was signed on Friday by Mesfin Tasew, Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, and Nnenna Nwabufo, vice president for regional development, integration and implementation of ADB activities, the ministry said in a statement released on Saturday.

This new airport, which will be built in Abusera, near Bishoftu, in the Oromia region, aims to meet the growing demand for air transport and contribute to the development of the African aviation industry, media reports.

In its first phase, the new airport is expected to include the construction of an airport facility with a capacity of 60 million passengers per year and, upon completion of the second phase of the project, it will be able to accommodate over 100 million passengers per year, according to the same source.