Forget Heathrow, Bole Airport Is Also a Great Aviation Hub
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – A recent visit to Ethiopia left Tunde Rahman enthralled by the magnificence of Addis Ababa Bole International Airport and the frenetic pace of aviation activities there.
Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, Ethiopia is unarguably one of the busiest airports in Africa. It is said to be the third busiest in the continent, handling over 3 million passengers per year.
It’s a massive international aviation centre with flights throughout Africa, Europe and Middle East. At this airport, international flights compete for landing spaces. As one airplane lands, another follows in quick succession. The airport offers one of the shortest and seamless links to Asia, and some parts of Europe.
My recent visit to Addis Ababa (November 18 to 21, 2012) was not the first time I was visiting Ethiopia. I once had a stopover and even slept over at one hotel in Bole area of the capital Addis Ababa during one of my many visits to China and India, during which I was enthralled by the magnificence and sheer beauty of Bole International Airport (airport code ADD). That was in 2005, three years after Ethiopia had taken a loan from Kuwait to upgrade the airport. The result: a ravishingly beautiful edifice and astonishingly efficient airport that is Bole International Airport. The airport itself is about three kilometres away from the city centre. Up till that 2005 there were two terminals, domestic and international, but a third one was added last year. Read more
