Addis Ababa Airport has two terminals. The buildings are clean, uncluttered and quite modern.
There is plenty of seating in the transit area of the departure gates.
- Terminal 1 - an older and small building serving only domestic flights and a few international airlines and containing only one restaurant
- Terminal 2 - the larger and more modern building is used by all international airlines and fully meets the standards of a conventional airport
Both terminals are close to each other, but transfer is only possible via the outdoor public area and only on foot (about 300 meters).
Transfer between flights
Addis Ababa is primarily a transfer airport. The local largest airline , Ethiopian Airlines, has a wide network of flights around the world.
International <-> International
All international transfers take place within Terminal 2 only. You do not need to move to any other building.
When you exit the aircraft, follow the signs International Transfer, which will take you to security. Queues for transfer security checks tend to be approximately 20-30 minutes.
Once through, you will be in the departure gate area.
On average, the net time between planes is about 25 to 45 minutes.
- Baggage on transfer - will be automatically transferred if you have both flights on the same booking
- Security check - yes
- Passport control - no
If you did not receive your boarding pass for the connecting flight at the point of departure, pick it up before going through security at the counter Customer Service Desk.
International -> Domestic
If you are continuing on a domestic flight within Ethiopia, you will need to visit the Visa-on-Arrival counter first, or if you have pre-arranged your visa, go straight to the Passport Control counter.
After that, collect your luggage and exit to the public area.
Follow the signs for the domestic transfer.
At the end of the international arrivals hall there is a special counter to check in your baggage for your domestic flight.
Then walk out in front of the terminal and follow the signs to walk about 300 meters to the domestic terminal.
- Transfer baggage - you must collect and re-check in
- Security check - yes
- Passport control - yes
Free hotel on transfer
If you are flying with Ethiopian Airlines and have a layover in Addis Ababa between 8 and 24 hours, you are always entitled to a free transit hotel.
You do not need to make any arrangements or book in advance. You'll receive a hotel voucher before your flight and just follow the signs to your hotel when you connect in Addis Ababa.
In this case, no visa is needed either.
We describe the detailed procedure, how the hotels look like and where they are located in the Ethiopian Airlines information.
Security checks before departure
If you are entering the airport building from the outside, you will face at least two security checks.
The first takes place right at the entrance to the building and is very thorough. Only passengers can enter the terminal, so your ticket or boarding pass is also checked.
After this security check, you take the escalator to the main departure hall with check-in desks.
This is followed by passport control and standard airport security checks before entering the transit area.
If you are departing from gates A14-A19, there is another security check. Flights departing from these gates are mostly to countries that require airlines to take enhanced security measures when travelling from Ethiopia, typically Europe, USA, Canada and Israel.
