Ethiopia Airport Smoking Areas

By , Author, Air Travel Writer · Updated

Addis Ababa Bole — Ethiopian Airlines’ primary hub and one of Africa’s busiest airports — keeps designated indoor smoking rooms after security, confirmed on the lounge operators’ own pages. That’s important, because huge numbers of travellers connect through Bole on Ethiopian Airlines with long layovers, and Ethiopia’s strict tobacco law might suggest otherwise. The one hard rule to remember: vapes are illegal in Ethiopia.

For international travel through Ethiopia, Addis Ababa Bole (ADD) is the airport that matters; it is the gateway for almost all of Ethiopian Airlines’ vast network.

How Ethiopian Airport Smoking Works

Ethiopia’s 2019 food and medicine proclamation declares indoor public places smoke-free, but enforcement is weak and Bole operates indoor smoking rooms anyway:

  • A public indoor smoking room in the Terminal 2 international departures/transit area
  • Lounge smoking rooms in the Plaza Premium, Cloud Nine and Sheba Silver lounges (operator-confirmed)
  • E-cigarettes and vapes are illegal nationwide — import, sale and use are all banned; do not bring one
  • Outdoor smoking is landside only — transit passengers depend on the indoor rooms

The Hub

Addis Ababa Bole International Airport (ADD). Ethiopian Airlines’ base and one of Africa’s busiest airports. After security in Terminal 2, travellers report a public smoking room near Gates A11–A12, around the corner from the prayer rooms. Terminal expansion work has shifted its position, so ask staff if it is not where described. The Plaza Premium Lounge (after passport control, 24h), the Ethiopian Airlines Cloud Nine business lounge, and the Sheba Silver Lounge (opened 2024) each have a designated smoking room. Lighters are often confiscated at the transit re-screening, so plan to use the rooms.

Tips for Smokers at Ethiopian Airports

  • Bole has airside smoking rooms — essential for the long Ethiopian Airlines layovers
  • Do not bring a vape to Ethiopia — e-cigarettes are illegal and banned even in the smoking rooms
  • Lighters are frequently confiscated at transit security; the smoking rooms usually have a way to light up
  • Signage is poor and terminal expansion work has shifted the room’s position — ask staff for the smoking room

Ethiopia Airports Compared: Indoor, Outdoor & After Security

AirportAfter securityIndoor roomOutdoor area
Addis Ababa Bole International Airport (ADD)YesYesYes

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can you smoke at Addis Ababa Bole Airport (ADD)?

Yes — Addis Ababa Bole keeps designated indoor smoking rooms after security. There is a public smoking room in the Terminal 2 international departures area (travellers report near Gates A11–A12), plus smoking rooms in the Plaza Premium, Cloud Nine and Sheba Silver lounges. This matters for long Ethiopian Airlines layovers.

Are e-cigarettes and vapes legal in Ethiopia?

Cigarettes are what the smoking rooms at Bole are for. E-cigarettes, vapes and heated-tobacco products are illegal nationwide in Ethiopia — import, sale and use are prohibited under the 2019 food and medicine proclamation, and Ethiopian Airlines bans them even in designated lounge smoking areas. Do not bring a vape.

Is there smoking after security at Addis Ababa Airport?

Yes — the indoor smoking rooms in the Terminal 2 transit/departures area and in the lounges are all airside, so transit passengers can smoke without leaving the secure zone. Note that lighters are frequently confiscated at the transit re-screening, so you may depend on the rooms (and the lighters available there).

Where is the smoking room at Addis Ababa Bole Airport?

Travellers report a public smoking room in the Terminal 2 international departures area, around the corner from the prayer rooms near Gates A11–A12. Terminal expansion work has shifted its position, so follow the signage or ask staff. The Plaza Premium, Cloud Nine and Sheba Silver lounges also have smoking rooms.

Can I smoke outdoors at Addis Ababa Airport?

Yes — outdoors landside, before security. Transit passengers realistically rely on the indoor airside smoking rooms, since reaching an outdoor area means leaving the secure zone.