# New Mogadishu International Airport (planned)

> The planned New Mogadishu International Airport at El Maan: site, runways, capacity, cost, World Bank-funded design study and timeline.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/infrastructure/new-mogadishu-international-airport/
Last checked: 2026-11-13
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## Why a second airport

[Aden Adde International Airport](/en/infrastructure/aden-adde-international-airport/) sits inside Mogadishu with no room left to grow, and traffic rose sharply in the early 2020s as airlines added routes and more Somalis abroad travelled home ([Wikipedia, New Mogadishu International Airport](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Mogadishu_International_Airport)). The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) says the new airport will meet growing passenger and cargo demand "as Aden Adde International Airport reaches its operational limits" ([UNOPS, 3 February 2026](https://content.unops.org/documents/libraries/press-releases/2026/en/Press-release-Somalia-Kick-off-meeting-for-the-new-Mogadishu-International-Airport-design.pdf)).

## The site

The airport is planned on a site of about **20 square kilometres** in the Maaxaay area, which UNOPS puts about 30 km north of Mogadishu and which the federal government has allocated and protected ([UNOPS](https://content.unops.org/documents/libraries/press-releases/2026/en/Press-release-Somalia-Kick-off-meeting-for-the-new-Mogadishu-International-Airport-design.pdf)). Wikipedia places it near the coastal village of Haawaay, also known as El Maan, about 36 km north-east of the city, in [Warsheekh](/en/regions/warsheikh/) district of [Middle Shabelle](/en/regions/middle-shabelle/) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Mogadishu_International_Airport)).

## What is planned

- **Phase I:** two parallel runways, each 4,000 metres long and 60 metres wide, able to take wide-body aircraft, with room for a third and fourth later ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Mogadishu_International_Airport)).
- **Capacity in Phase I:** 5 million passengers, 130,000 aircraft movements and 100,000 tonnes of cargo a year (same source).
- **Jobs:** officials have said up to 10,000 young Somalis could work in airport and aviation roles (same source).
- **Cost:** reported at about **$643 million** ([The EastAfrican](https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/business-tech/somalia-bids-for-the-future-with-new-usd643-million-airport-4868758); [Somali Guardian](https://somaliguardian.com/news/somalia-news/somalias-govt-to-build-new-airport-in-mogadishu-to-ease-congestion/)) and by [Garowe Online](/en/economy/somali-media-companies/) at about **$800 million** ([Garowe Online](https://www.garoweonline.com/en/news/somalia/somalia-launches-construction-of-new-800-million-airport-near-capital)).
- **Who builds it:** Wikipedia names the New Mogadishu Development Corporation working in a public-private partnership with Turkish firms ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Mogadishu_International_Airport); [NMDC project page](https://www.nmdcinvest.com/projects/airport/)). It is linked to a planned "Gateway Complex" for cargo and port access ([Mogadishu24](https://mogadishu24.com/somali-president-breaks-ground-on-gateway-complex-marking-a-new-era-for-mogadishu/)).

## Timeline

- **June 2024:** the federal government announced it would build a new airport for the capital ([Hiiraan Online, June 2024](http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2024/jun/196709/somali_government_announces_construction_of_new_airport_in_mogadishu.aspx)).
- **29 June 2025:** President [Hassan Sheikh Mohamud](/en/people/hassan-sheikh-mohamud/) laid the foundation stone at the site in Warsheekh district ([SONNA](https://sonna.so/en/president-hassan-lays-foundation-for-major-infrastructure-projects-in-middle-shabelle/); [Hiiraan Online, June 2025](https://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Jun/202037/somali_president_lays_foundation_for_new_mogadishu_international_airport_in_middle_shabelle_region.aspx)).
- **3 February 2026:** the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation held the kick-off meeting for the master plan, feasibility study, preliminary engineering design and environmental and social impact assessment. The work is funded by the World Bank's **Somalia–Horn of Africa Infrastructure Integration Project (SHIIP)**, with UNOPS as project manager and technical compliance partner ([UNOPS](https://content.unops.org/documents/libraries/press-releases/2026/en/Press-release-Somalia-Kick-off-meeting-for-the-new-Mogadishu-International-Airport-design.pdf)).
- **2029:** the date Wikipedia gives for completing Phase I ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Mogadishu_International_Airport)).

## Related

- [Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation](/en/institutions/ministry-of-transport-and-civil-aviation/)
- [Airlines in Somalia](/en/economy/airlines-in-somalia/) and [Somali Airlines](/en/economy/somali-airlines/)
- [Mogadishu](/en/regions/mogadishu/)

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