Addis Ababa Airport (ADD)

The terminals at Addis Ababa Airport

Bole International Airport is the home base of Ethiopian Airlines. The modern terminal was inaugurated on 21 January 2003, and a second phase of the expansion was completed and inaugurated on 28 January 2019. The airport handles more than 22 million international passengers and 2 million domestic ones a year, which makes it one of the busiest airports in Africa.

The airport also has an in-terminal transit hotel, with 97 rooms, past passport control in Terminal 2, a short walk from the departure gates. If your connection is long, that is a way to rest without leaving the airport.

Getting to and from Addis Ababa Airport

The airport sits about 8 km from central Addis Ababa, roughly a 15 to 30 minute drive depending on the traffic. The options are the Blue Line SkyBus from Terminal 2, the official yellow-cream taxis, the licensed private taxis, the local ride-hailing apps and the hotel shuttles that you arrange in advance. Uber does not operate in Ethiopia, so the local apps are the ones to use.

What happens when you arrive at ADD

Keep your passport and any form you filled in on the plane with you the whole way, from the aircraft door to the exit.

The airport's arrival sequence starts with the meet and assist of the customer relations officers, then the immigration and the passport control, the baggage belt displays and the baggage claim, and ends at the customs green and red channels. If a checked bag does not arrive, report it right away at the baggage claim customer service desk.

Addis Ababa Airport with children

The airport's own pages cover the services for the passengers and the families, and the free Wi-Fi that runs through the terminal, which helps when the children want something to do while you wait.

Leave the passports and the children's documents in your carry-on bag, not in the checked luggage, so you have them at passport control. And if you book a hotel shuttle in advance, check how long the drive is: it is 15 to 30 minutes with the traffic.

Plan your stop at Addis Ababa Airport

The airport does not rebook flights, so check with your airline for the schedule changes and the options, and check with the embassy or consulate about the documents your family needs for the entry rules of every country on your route.

Sources

• Official page of Ethiopian Airlines, the airline that runs the airport's terminal, on Addis Ababa Bole International Airport: the terminal, the counters and the in-terminal hotel. — ethiopianairlines.com (checked 21 October 2026)
• Official page of Ethiopian Airlines on the arrival services at Addis Ababa Bole: the arrival sequence, the baggage claim, the customs and the ways into the city. — ethiopianairlines.com (checked 21 October 2026)