Addis Ababa Airport

✅ Trip Verified | This is without doubt the worst airport I have used. It is chaotic, dirty and crowded. The staff are belligerent and unhelpful. Both business class lounges were full, the WiFi was pitiful and the toilets horrific. The staff were rude and unhelpful. This is the worst I have been treated as a Gold Star Alliance member by a participating airline. I will never use this airport again. A pity as the Ethiopian Airlines aircraft and crew are good.

✅ Trip Verified | I don't really mind the disorganisation or the lack of seating. What really annoyed me was the ridiculous price for food. $12 for an average cheese sandwich was the cheapest thing I could find. In my experience this makes it one of the most expensive airports in the world. If you wanted to have anything from the (average) buffet, this would cost you a cool $25. I just felt, after a lovely time in the country, that this was a bit cynical - considering there was no real choice once in the airport - especially if your flight was 6 hours late. I understand commercial reality and make a buck where you can etc. But this was over the top and will be people's last memory of a beautiful country. You should be trying to make people come back!

✅ Trip Verified | Dreadful, awful airport. Duty-free refuse to take their own currency and will take only dollars. Why? Do they feel their own currency is worthless or is there another reason to have dollars? The airport banks will not exchange their own currency for dollars, so no shopping or duty-free for me. Security took scissors from me that was under the legal 6cms for a carry-on. The TSA allows 10 cms! The staff just would not listen and her supervisor on the next conveyor who was absolutely useless and negligent at checking his x-ray screen, just nodded and she dumped it. I wrote twice to the airport and received no replies. They also have a useless web site.

✅ Trip Verified | The airport is under reconstruction and should be great once completed. Lounge facilities adequate for a transit stop. They do get crowded. Exception ET business class lounge. Passport control special line for business class, baggage delivery is on time. Special security lane for business class. Lucky if you get a jetty!

Not Verified | I specifically required wheelchair assistance on my flight, due to the fact that I am fitted with a brace, following a knee athroscopy three weeks ago. That instruction was only carried out in Cape Town, very professional airport. In Bole International airport however, it was another story, but I can cope with it. When it comes to their metal detector screening, I explained to the personnel of the airport at the main entrance that I cannot remove my brace, as it offers some firm support for my knee, yet they wanted me to remove it. I then asked the agent, would he carry me through the metal detector door, to which he replied no. I added removing the brace is useless, because I have two screws inside my body, due to the surgery, I will have them permanently. That did not make sense to him and his supervisor, who was adamant that I removed the brace. I was very tense, I ripped my brace off, and walked through the metal detector gate on one foot, and of course, the metal detector made a noise, because of the two screws inside my knee. They searched me and then let me go. Put my brace back in serious anger and told them this was unacceptable, that in Cape Town airport, they would search you thoroughly and will never ask you to remove the brace, because they know you need it to stand! What really annoys me is the level of carelessness of these people, that they would complicate life to people with disabilities. Because of that experience, I vow to never travel to that airport again, Ethiopian Airlines will no longer be on my list of airlines for sure.

Not Verified | Addis Ababa’s Bole International Airport is one of the saddest that I have seen, the infrastructure is totally lacking for the number of passengers being handled. It has the appearance of an overcrowded train station where no one really knows what is happening. The only thing that tempers my remarks is that I was flying business class and thus, benefitted from some preferential treatment that cut down waiting times in lines. Still, the confusion and lack of clarity was almost overwhelming. Also, the uphill and up the stairs hike into the airport can be a little breathtaking: Addis Ababa is 7,500 feet above sea level so do not run! I arrived at the airport via a hotel shuttle that drops one off in a parking lot, rather than at curbside. One has to drag himself (and if he has luggage, that too) up a fairly long path to the terminal entrance, although porters are available. As this is not under cover, one can only imagine the mess it must be in the rain! Business class entitles one to an express security check at the front door and an express line for check-in and immigration. However, the express lines were violated by a number of people while I was there and that defeats the whole purpose. The waiting area is a mass of people all wandering about trying to determine where to go. Fortunately, I was entitled to the business class lounge - but it is in need of more space and improved facilities. Additionally, the restrooms are limited in size and they offer no shower rooms for transit passengers. At the moment, it has the feeling of being a temporary affair, not well planned. Proceeding to the departure gate from the business class requires another security check where one has to remove shoes and watches - and one is advised to plan ahead for this inconvenience as there is no place to sit to remove or put back on shoes - even at the special screening for business class. Watches should be removed and safely stored in a hand bag, too. Going through security, one gets the distinct impression that no one is really paying attention to what is going on, rather they are just going through the motions. Following the screening, there is an a special area where business class passengers can wait for some flights, but not all, so it is best to check with the agent who checks you in or with the people in the business class lounge. Again, there is what seems to be almost total chaos and far too little space for departing passengers. I was able to use the special area for business class, but be aware to pay attention for your departure. I was told that someone would come around and tell me when the flight for Manila was departing. That did not happen and luckily, I spotted some people who looked like they were headed my way and checked and indeed, it was my time to board. From there we went down an elevator and onto a bus to the plane, where we had to hike up the stairs into breathlessness in the thin air. I cannot fault the employees of Ethiopian Airlines as they really try their best in an impossible situation. But the airport is totally lacking in infrastructure to handle the number of flights it handles. And the way the building is designed is faulty: it is too narrow to be able to provide the space needed. What I don’t understand is why so much money was invested in beautiful, new aircraft for Ethiopian Airlines (A350’s and Boeing Dreamliner) and none was invested in upgrading Addis Ababa’s airport. It is a mess.

Not Verified | Definitely made the trip that much more difficult. The airline itself seems good and seems to have a good reputation but the airport doesnt even come close. There is not enough seating in the place... at one point people where sitting on the floor for hours. Toilet facilties are absolutely abysmal most not working. There is not enough restaurants. The ones that are there dont take cards. Just an awful place.

✅ Trip Verified | Worst airport I have ever utilized. After almost 10 years of consistent issues I will no longer use Ethiopian Airlines! I had hoped things might improve as I have found the airline itself to be good but the airport (ie infrastructure, chaotic clearance process, bus transit to/from planes, poor/conflicted communication) is always a nightmare. Totally unacceptable to this frequent traveller.

✅ Trip Verified | Bole airport is the worst hub in the world. Overcrowded, dirty, smelly, with nowhere to sit and very disorganised queues for security. The toilets, when they are available, are even dirtier and smellier, with no toilet paper most of the time and a queue so long it is often preferable waiting until boarding the plane. The boarding queues are hardly ever respected despite the colour system put in place by Ethiopian Airlines and most staff just yell at passengers. The lighting is poor and gloomy, even in the recently expanded section. The toilets in the new boarding area already look worn and the design is clearly outdated, with tubes and plumbing visible on the ceiling in the lower section. Coffee dispensers do not accept credit cards or foreign currency. The duty free looks more like an African street market than an international airport: products are poorly displayed, with shoes still in their boxes, cables and wiring showing everywhere, and no prices displayed. Credit card machines hardly ever work. The worst part though is the only restaurant in the terminal, the infamous London Satellite Café: disgusting food, often served cold, totally overprices (nothing under 20 USD) with non-English speaking staff and incredibly rude waiters. What a pity for a country with such an incredible food culture. Any sensible airport manager would just prohibit them from operating in the airport ever again. Last thing: the smoking area is so poorly isolated that the whole terminal smells like tobacco. I expected the expansion and renovation to improve the situation, but it is clear that the problem is not only infrastructure: management is to blame. Ethiopian can never hope to compete with Emirates or Turkish with such an awful transit hub. Avoid this airport at all costs.

Not Verified | Avoid, the worst possible airport, totally disorganised, just a big chaos. And on top of that you are allowed to take litres of alcohol through to the gate but no water and no option to get one, probably supposed to dehydrate. I'd give it 0 if i could. No prices on anything, its just a guessing game and embrace yourself if you need the toilet.