Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed officially inaugurated the newly expanded Addis Ababa Bole International Airport terminal this Sunday 27 January. The expansion, which began in 2015, will triple the annual passenger capacity to 22 million, making it the biggest airport aviation hub in Africa.
The newly expanded airport terminal has been refurbished with state-of-the-art amenities and high-tech systems, including automated bag drop solutions, e-gates, self-check-in kiosks, baggage handling, and the latest airport security technologies.
With its new duty-free shops, restaurants, auto-walks, escalators, panoramic lifts and many other accommodations, the new facility will take travelers’ experience to a whole new level.
Ethiopian Airlines Group indicated that the airport facility is developed not only to accommodate the current traffic growth at the airport but in due consideration of the growth indicators of the continent including traffic growth forecast and the rising middle class.
Addis Ababa last year overtook Dubai as the leading gateway to Africa. The country also announced that it would start granting visas on arrival to people from Africa. The inauguration ceremony was also attended by the chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat.
PM Abiy also launched the Skylight hotel, a subsidiary of Ethiopian Airlines.
The five-star luxury hotel complex located five minutes from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport rests on 40, 000 square meter and has 373 rooms, including 27 presidential and executive suites, four restaurants and a conference and banquet hall that can hold 2, 000 people.
In addition to promoting Ethiopian tourism, the hotel will also welcome passengers during transits, stopovers or technical delays.
