In a world battered by the coronavirus pandemic, there are still places where a certain optimism reigns. Such is the case at Addis Ababathe capital of Ethiopia. On 28 August, Ethiopian Airlines officially inaugurated the expansion of Terminal 2.its international hub.
Few business travellers are aware of this, but it's true, with its 12.5 million annual passengers, Addis Ababa is the leading airport for transfers between Africa and the rest of the world. Until last year, this was the role of Dubai airport. The rise of the Ethiopian hub is the result of the airline's ambitious expansion policy. Ethiopian Airlines. It is now one of Africa's three largest airlines, with a fleet of 126 aircraft.. Before the covid-19 crisis, the company offered flights to more than 125 destinations.
This September, Ethiopian Airlines is scheduling flights to 95 destinations. To French-speaking Europe, the Ethiopian national carrier is offering a daily flight to Paris CDG1 in an Airbus A350, three weekly frequencies in a Boeing 787 to Paris CDG1 and a daily flight to Paris CDG1 in an Airbus A350. Marseille via Geneva. Ethiopian also serves Brussels with three weekly flights by Boeing 787.
Addis Ababa, Africa's leading transfer airport
Addis Ababa airport is served by a total of 17 airlines. These include two European airlines, Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines. The expansion of the terminal will increase the airport's total capacity to more than 22 million passengers a year. China was involved in financing and carrying out the project. The project represented an investment of 363 million dollars.
The new terminal includes a departures hall with 60 check-in counters. There are also 30 kiosks issuing boarding passes and ten counters enabling passengers with baggage to check in. To facilitate the flow of passengers, the terminal is equipped with 16 immigration counters and electronic e-gate counters. Sixteen security checkpoints also speed up security checks. On arrival, the terminal can handle large numbers of passengers quickly, with a total of thirty-two immigration counters.
The new terminal is in fact the first major infrastructure to open this year since the covid-19 crisis. The health crisis has forced the authorities to review passenger routes. The new measures minimise contact between passengers and staff or by increasing distances. The authorities have also reviewed facility disinfection protocols.
