The United States is actively promoting the idea of attracting American companies to the $12.5 billion Ethiopian Airlines airport construction project. Washington is interested in strengthening its commercial and infrastructure influence in Africa, where China currently holds stronger positions.
Mark Mitchell, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for the Middle East and Africa, called the Bishoftu International Airport a 'transformative' project during a virtual briefing held in Addis Ababa. Following meetings with representatives of Ethiopian Airlines, Mitchell stated that the U.S. Department of Commerce is closely involved in efforts to ensure significant U.S. participation.
Although Mitchell did not name specific companies or contracts, he noted that U.S. involvement could lead to the acquisition of more Boeing aircraft equipped with GE Aerospace engines. Previously, Ethiopian Airlines agreed to purchase six additional Boeing 787-9 aircraft.
Construction began in January about 40 kilometers southeast of Addis Ababa. According to Ethiopian Airlines, the first phase of the project will be completed by 2030 and will be able to serve 60 million passengers annually. Upon full realization, the project is expected to accommodate 110 million passengers, making it the largest airport in Africa.
This project aims to support the rapid expansion of the state airline. Ethiopian Airlines reported that its revenue increased by 20% in the 2025–2026 fiscal year, reaching a record $9.1 billion, according to Ethiopian News Agency. The airline transported 20.7 million passengers, added nine aircraft, and opened four international routes, now operating over 170 aircraft and serving 150 international destinations.
Under a financing mandate signed last August, the African Development Bank plans to provide a loan of $500 million and lead efforts to attract $8.7 billion for Bishoftu.
The U.S. initiative comes amid competition between Washington and Beijing for trade, technology, and infrastructure cooperation in Africa. In January, the Ethiopian business newspaper Addis Fortune reported that China Communications Construction Company and Beijing Urban Construction Group were conducting initial site clearing and preparatory work in Bishoftu. Ethiopian Airlines separately confirmed on its website that several Chinese firms and joint ventures have passed preliminary selection for tenders on the airport's main construction and infrastructure packages.
These efforts are being made despite ongoing trade tensions. Ethiopia remains excluded from the U.S. African Growth and Opportunity Act after Washington suspended its eligibility in 2022, citing human rights violations during the conflict in northern Ethiopia.
Binance Wallet has announced the launch of the Binance Alpha GRVT deposit campaign. Participants can take part in the promotion by following the established rules to qualify for exclusive token rewards.
This campaign is exclusively available to members of the GRVT community who have received the official GRVT airdrop on the BNB Smart Chain (BSC). The total reward pool amounts to 66,640 GRVT, which is approximately valued at $20,000 USD. A total of the first 1,666 qualified participants will be rewarded, with each user receiving 40 GRVT.
To participate, users must deposit and transfer at least 300 GRVT in a single transaction. Reward distribution follows a 'first come, first served' principle. The promotional campaign will run from July 30, 2026, 13:00 UTC, until August 1, 2026, 13:00 UTC.
The participation process consists of two main stages. First, you need to deposit tokens into Binance Wallet (Keyless) by opening the Binance application, navigating to the 'My Wallets' section, and selecting 'Binance Wallet (Keyless)'. Users must request and deposit at least 300 GRVT from the address where they received the official GRVT airdrop.
Second, you should go to the 'Exchange' section of the Binance application, select 'Asset' -> 'Alpha' to access the Binance Alpha 2.0 Account page. There, you must use the 'Transfer In' function to transfer the corresponding GRVT tokens.
Before starting transfers, it is crucial to review the selection parameters. The campaign is only for those who received the official GRVT airdrop on BSC. Step 1 must be completed before Step 2 during the campaign period. However, if the GRVT airdrop was received directly in Binance Wallet (Keyless), Step 1 can be skipped, and you can proceed directly to Step 2, with eligibility determined by the completion time of Step 2.
It is also emphasized that the external blockchain address used for the deposit in Step 1 must exactly match the address that received the GRVT community airdrop. Rewards will be paid in GRVT tokens and credited to the winners' Binance Alpha or Binance Wallet (Keyless) accounts by August 15, 2026, 13:00 UTC.
GRVT (Gravity) is a hybrid decentralized exchange (HEX). It is designed to combine the self-custodial security of decentralized exchanges with the high performance and usability of centralized exchanges. By utilizing zero-knowledge rollups, GRVT ensures high-performance trading, privacy protection, and a simple adaptation process for Web3 traders. The integration of GRVT into the Binance Wallet Alpha ecosystem allows early community members and airdrop recipients to easily move their assets to Binance Alpha 2.0.
The GRVT token operates on the BNB Smart Chain (BSC) network and offers several key advantages: protocol governance, discounts on trading fees, liquidity provision incentives, and ecosystem rewards. For more information, it is recommended to study the official project documentation.
The Kyrgyz airline Aero Nomad plans to introduce regular flights between Bishkek and Tashkent. This was reported by representatives of the Uzbekistan airport.
The airline's operations are expected to begin on August 23, 2026. The Bishkek-Tashkent-Bishkek route will be served twice a week, on Thursdays and Sundays, using Airbus A320 aircraft.
Currently, direct flights between the capitals of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan are operated by Centrum Air and Uzbekistan Airways. The appearance of Aero Nomad on this route will increase the number of carriers to three, expanding options for passengers and promoting further development of air connections between the two countries.
In addition, Aero Nomad is considering launching additional routes from Bishkek to Samarkand and Urgench.
Aero Nomad is a Kyrgyz airline founded in 2021. Based at Bishkek International Airport, it operates both regular and charter passenger transport using Airbus A320 family aircraft.
The Competition Committee of Uzbekistan imposed financial sanctions on construction companies Elita Stroy Building and Glamur Gold for violating advertising legislation.
According to the committee's data, the rules regulating the construction of residential buildings with joint financing, approved by Presidential Decree No. PP-4732 dated May 27, 2020, prohibit developers from publishing information about projects before they are entered into the electronic register of companies authorized to attract citizen funds under joint participation agreements.
The investigation revealed that the residential complexes built by Elita Stroy Building and Glamur Gold were not included in the required electronic register. Nevertheless, advertising for these projects was placed on social networks.
The Committee noted that Article 16 of the Law on Advertising prohibits the promotion of goods and services whose production or sale is prohibited by law, as well as those for which the necessary legal permits have not been obtained. A special commission of the committee, after reviewing the case materials, recognized both companies as having violated the law and decided to impose financial sanctions.
Furthermore, the developers were issued mandatory directives requiring them to cease the violations and prevent similar incidents in the future.
