Ethiopian Airlines hosted a double celebration on 27^th January as they launched their new state-of-the-art passenger terminal at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport and officially opened its own brand new ultra-modern 5-star Skylight Hotel.

The launch ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, African Union Chairperson Mr Moussa Faki, ministers, high-level government officials, Ethiopian Airlines Board Members, Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Mr Tewolde GebreMariam, Executive Management Members and other invited guests.

Addressing the gathering, the Group CEO said, “While Addis Ababa Airport overtook Dubai as the largest air transport hub between Africa and the rest of the world, this grand terminal building is further evidence of the development of Bole Airport as one of the largest and most convenient global aviation hubs.”

The new $363 million passenger terminal will help serve the huge increase in volume through and into the airport, driven by its strategic location and convenient connectivity options.

The airport has tripled its passenger capacity and will now be able to accommodate up to 22 million passengers annually from its current 7 million – making it the biggest in Africa.

Last year, data from the travel intelligence agency ForwardKeys showed that Addis Ababa’s Bole International Airport has overtaken Dubai as the leading gateway to Africa, thanks to the success of the Airlines’ expansion drive within the continent and relaxed visa schemes.

…luxury hotel

The $65 million Ethiopian Skylight Hotel offers much needed 5-star accommodation in this fast-growing capital city, Addis Ababa.

Conveniently located adjacent to the airport, its unique aircraft shape design provides 373 guest rooms and spacious executive suites, 4 restaurants including the largest Chinese restaurant in Africa, 2 bars, a swimming pool, gym, health centre, café and gift shops. The hotel also has 5 meeting rooms and a huge conference hall offering Addis a convenient location for global and regional conferences and events.

Ethiopia has abundant tourist sites across the country and Ethiopian Airlines want to take every opportunity for travellers to extend their stay in the country.

Tewolde GebreMariam commented “Ethiopian Skylight Hotel will enable the airline to offer packaged tour and travel programmes and enable Ethiopian Airlines to attract about a third of tourists out of the 6 million passengers transiting through Bole Airport to visit Ethiopia.”

At the inauguration event, Prime Minister Abiy remarked, “Ethiopian Airlines is our national pride and a special icon among our companies. We would like all employees of the airline here and elsewhere to know that we speak of you with pride. The airline’s offer for employees to own shares in the hotel is important as it boosts a sense of ownership among staff and will serve as a model for other companies to emulate.

Today’s inauguration of the new passenger terminal shows that we have a lot of work ahead of us. We expect the Board and the Management not to be complacent with the new terminal, but rather to aim for a bigger facility with a capacity to accommodate at least 100 million passengers.”

The PM also set a new challenge for Ethiopian Airlines: to build a 100-million passenger mega airport in Bishoftu, a resort town with many tourist attractions located just over an hour southeast of Addis Ababa.

Ethiopian Airlines is implementing Vision 2025, a 15-year strategic plan, aimed at making it Africa’s leading aviation group. Founded 74 years ago, the Airline commands the lion’s share of the Pan-African passenger and cargo network operating the youngest and most modern fleet to more than 119 international passenger and cargo destinations across five continents, with over 61 of those in Africa alone.