Addis Ababa Airport

Not Verified | These reviews are in good standing to make an anxious soul feel wrecked about the possibility that they have to go through Addis Ababa Airport, but honestly it is not at all bad. I went through it in December 2020 so I landed and passed through the new terminal. The staff were polite and very quick, I went through security in a matter of 1 minute and I did not have problems. The terminal is not big, so you do not get lost. Due to Covid, I suspect it was much less crowded than usual, but one should not think that they are going to come upon a kiosk instead of an airport and actually for a developing country I have to think it was great. The toilets were all clean and, in all, nothing weird happened. I also liked how they are installing an additional security system before you get out to the gates. The one thing that did not work was the WiFi. It did not at all work and my data only worked for 1 minute, so be prepared for this.

Not Verified | Shocking, absolutely disgusting the airport is filthy. Nobody smokes in the smoking boxes so the airport reeks of smoke. There is no edible food available to purchase. The staff are incompetent and rude. Definitely do not recommend.

✅ Trip Verified | Truly awful and disorganized. Ethiopian was incompetent and couldn't board in a timely manner so we missed our connecting flight. We had to go stand at the transfer desk for 3 hours to get flights out. We had people piled on top of each other, jumping on top of you and shoving to the front. Staff didn't help with queing and would allow Ethiopian passport holders to trample you, cough and sneeze in your face and then serve them first. For the country to even claim they are screening for corona is laughable after the transfer center nightmare. They crammed several hundred international arrivals into an area meant to hold maybe 50 people for hours.

Not Verified | After reading the various reviews, I was expecting a nightmare. But it was actually rather pleasant. Yes, we went through three scanners and security points, and were not able to take the water we bought ($1, but watch where you shop as some sell for $2) but the shops were pleasant to wander around while passing time. The shops are expensive, but you are a captive audience. This is the same in every airport. Plenty of seating and the lounge beds are a nice touch (free if you can get one) the toilets are fine and clean. Not holes in the ground, but don’t have a seat. This suits me as I not sit on public toilets no matter where I am in the world. Easy to navigate and staff friendly. I have heard that Saturday evening can be chaotic, but on a Wednesday evening, it was busy, but not hectic. This airport is no worse than many European airports.

Not Verified | I have passed through Addis probably over a dozen times since 2016. I am by parts confused and shocked by some of the reviews here, which appear to expect Ethiopia to have a calming oasis of modernity in a rapidly developing country. Yes, the queues for security are long, but the staff (who are paid a pittance, remember) do their best. Simply suck it up and wait. We are all tired (including the staff) and you will eventually pass through security. If you are not used to airports in some developing countries, it's just how it is sometimes. Occasionally, yes, Addis is a complete nightmare, but on other ocassions, everything is smooth. I've had very quick transfers, and the Ethiopian staff have always been prepared for late connection arrivals etc. Never missed a connection here, even with a 20 minutes window. If you look, there a not only plenty of seats, but there are vast expanses of floor to lounge around on. There are at least 4 small shops which sell drinks and hot snacks for between $1-$5 so anyone thinking theres a $15 minimum charge is insane, and has not been to Addis. Its chaotic, yes, but hey, so what. Its appallingly organised, but such is life. Its difficult to navigate, and staff (but more often fellow passengers) are rude, but cest la vie. The concept of customer service is a very low priority here, so accept that and move on. Just because you are flying through an international airport, you shouldn't expect phenomenal standards in developing regions. Addis is crap, yes, but its certainly very bearable, and compared to some of the absolute hellholes I have been to, its positively divine. Stop moaning about it, and suck it up for what it is - a badly designed, appallingly resourced, ridiculously busy African hub, which is staffed by underpaid people who deal with thousands of privileged passengers daily. Has it got all the stuff you might need? Lets see: Toilets - yes (bad but they are there), Water - yes for $1 a bottle literally anywhere in the airport, Space - yes, to the left of the main departure security entry theres loads of chairs and space. Food - small shops, 2 restaurant/bars and 1 chinese restaurant where you can get noodles for next to nothing. There is plenty to eat for between $2-$5. Wifi - yep - its intermittent and bad but hey ho. Lounges - yes, several, all a bit poor, but so what. If you need anything more on a transit stopover, you need to organise yourself a bit better. Stop decrying Addis for utterly nonsensical and uber-privileged reasons!

✅ Trip Verified | Addis Ababa airport is still a very unworthy hub for the otherwise decent Ethiopian Airlines. Terminal 2 is reasonably modern and clean but hopelessly overcrowded with endless lines everywhere. Not enough seating, too few security check and immigration counters, too few food and drink outlets, too few of everything. But this is still great against dirty old Terminal 1 which is put to shame by any random African bus station. There is construction work going for a new terminal. So maybe there is hope for improvement in the future.

✅ Trip Verified | Very disappointing. The airport is modern and clean but not big enough to handle the volume going through it. Result is queues everywhere. The airport has poor internal signposting so you have to keep asking harassed staff where to go. Do not use it for a layover. First you queue for a hotel voucher. That queue is not too bad. Then you queue for immigration - since there are no transit hotels, you must enter Ethiopia to sleep. The immigration queues are /very/ slow - more than 40 minutes. I had heard good things about Ethiopian but I will be avoiding transit through Addis in future, if I can help it.

Not Verified | This is one of the most unfriendly airports I've ever experienced. Poor service and extremely rude security staff. Going through security, they flagged my bag and removed some spices and tossed them in the bin without explanation and turned around and wouldn't acknowledge my question or even look at me. If the spices weren't allowed it's fine, but there was no sign posted and no explanation from the staff. Very pushy, and a terrible way to end an enjoyable trip around this lovely country.

✅ Trip Verified | At least 3 to 4 times a year I pass-through this airport. Every time it has been a nightmare. On 18 August in the evening it was a real nightmare: 1) Overcrowded airport with very few checking in gates. 2) Incompetent ushers/staff - with very little courtesy. I don't even think they know what being courteous is. 3) The few toilets that exist in the pre-departure lounge are extremely filthy. 4) I bought a plate of food, it never came on time - took almost an hour to come, just as my flight was being called, the lady turned up (did she expect me to gulp down the food, I wonder). 5) In one corner there is a filthy smelling smoking room that fills up the duty free area with stale smoke smell. This is a no no airport.

✅ Trip Verified | Addis Ababa Airport is one of the worst airports I have been to. There are no seats for everyone to wait. The lines for X-Ray are not organized, so people heap and the security does nothing to organize. The lines for Visa are huge, also the immigration. The food availability is poor, about 3 options inside the airport. The toilets are not enough so they rent some chemical ones for people use. Ethiopian has big airplanes and most of them does not use the finger, so we have to board using buses. Very poor exeperience.