Addis Ababa Bole International Airport (IATA: ADD, ICAO: HAAB) is an international airport located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Situated in the Bole district, it lies 6 km (3.7 mi) southeast of the city centre and 65 km (40 mi) north of Bishoftu.
Formerly known as Haile Selassie I International Airport, it serves as the main hub for Ethiopian Airlines, connecting Ethiopia to destinations across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America.
History and Development
In 1960, Ethiopian Airlines recognized that the runway at Lideta was inadequate for its new Boeing 720 jet aircraft. By December 1962, a new runway and control tower were operational.
The expanded old runway and the new runway are capable of handling the Boeing 747 and Airbus A340 aircraft. The new parallel runway is connected by five entrances and exits to the old runway, which serves as a taxiway.
In 2006, a new cargo terminal and maintenance hangar was opened five months late due to expanded specifications aimed at vastly improving Ethiopian Airlines' handling capacity and needs. The facility can accommodate three to four aircraft at a time.
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In 2010, the Ethiopian Airports Enterprise announced another expansion project worth $27.9 million at the airport. The project included expansion of the aircraft parking capacity from 19 to 44 to accommodate heavier aircraft such as the Boeing 747 and Boeing 777.
The expansion work was undertaken in two phases on an 80-hectare (200-acre) site. The first phase enabled the airport to accommodate 15 additional aircraft, reducing traffic congestion. The second phase allowed the airport to service 10 more aircraft.
Terminal Expansion and Capacity
In 2012, an expansion of the new passenger terminal was announced with a projected outlay of $250 million. A new ramp was completed, accommodating 24 aircraft, and another ramp was under construction for 14 more aircraft. The first phase of expanding the taxiways and adding more aircraft parking was also completed.
According to the CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, the east wing of the newly expanded airport was expected to be operational by the end of June 2018. The whole expansion project was completed by the end of 2018, enabling the airport to accommodate up to 22 million passengers per year. As of 23 January 2020 the extension is still not fully completed.
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Future Developments
The former Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn had purportedly given permission to build a new international airport in the town of Mojo, 65 kilometres (40 mi) south of the capital's current airport. The senior official at the Ethiopian Airport Enterprise said that the officials of the enterprise and the Ministry of Transport briefed the Prime Minister about the planned grand airport project.
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Terminals
The airport has two terminals with a total of around 69 gates. Terminal 1 has 10 gates and Terminal 2 has around 50 gates. The terminal houses a high tech security and baggage handling system built on more than 43,000 square meters of land.
Airlines and Destinations
Addis Ababa Bole International Airport serves numerous destinations through Ethiopian Airlines and other carriers. Here's a list of destinations served by Ethiopian Airlines:
- Abidjan
- Abu Dhabi
- Abuja
- Accra
- Amman-Queen Alia
- Antananarivo
- Arba Minch
- Asosa
- Athens
- Atlanta
- Awasa
- Axum
- Bahir Dar
- Bahrain
- Bamako
- Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi
- Bangui
- Beijing-Capital
- Beira
- Beirut
- Bengaluru
- Blantyre
- Bosaso
- Brazzaville
- Brussels
- Buenos Aires-Ezeiza
- Bujumbura
- Bulawayo
- Cairo
- Cape Town
- Chengdu-Tianfu
- Chennai
- Chicago-O'Hare
- Conakry
- Cotonou
- Copenhagen
- Dakar-Diass
- Dammam
- Dar es Salaam
- Delhi
- Dembidolo
- Dessie
- Dhaka
- Dire Dawa
- Djibouti
- Doha
- Douala
- Dubai-International
- Entebbe
- Enugu
- Frankfurt
- Freetown
- Gaborone
- Gambella
- Garowe
- Geneva
- Goba
- Gode
- Goma
- Gondar
- Guangzhou
- Hanoi
- Harare
- Hargeisa
- Hong Kong
- Humera
- Hyderabad
- Istanbul
- Jakarta-Soekarno-Hatta
- Jeddah
- Jijiga
- Jimma
- Johannesburg-O.R.
Ethiopian Cargo also operates to various destinations, including:
- Accra
- Ahmedabad
- Antananarivo
- Beirut
- Bengaluru
- Bogotá
- Brazzaville
- Brussels
- Bujumbura
- Casablanca
- Cairo
- Chennai
- Chongqing
- Copenhagen
- Delhi
- Dhaka
- Djibouti
- Dubai-International
- Enugu
- Guangzhou
- Hanoi
- Hong Kong
- Hyderabad
- Jakarta-Soekarno-Hatta
- Jeddah
- Johannesburg-O. R.
Accidents and Incidents
- On 18 April 1972 at 09:40, an East African Airways Super VC-10 (registered 5X-UVA) crashed during take-off; 35 passengers were killed, as well as eight of the 11 crew.
- On 18 March 1980, Douglas C-47B ET-AGM of Ethiopian Airlines crashed while on a single-engined approach to Bole International Airport.
- On 10 March 2019, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 of Ethiopian Airlines operating as Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 bound for Nairobi crashed shortly after takeoff from Bole International Airport. All 149 passengers and eight crew members on board perished. This crash was very similar to the crash of Lion Air Flight 610 five months earlier, as both planes were brand new 737 MAXs that crashed right after takeoff.
Addis Ababa Bole International Airport continues to expand and modernize, solidifying its role as a crucial aviation hub in Africa.
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