Smoking at Addis Ababa Bole Airport – ADD

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By , Author, Air Travel Writer · Updated

Yes — Addis Ababa Bole International Airport (ADD) has designated indoor smoking rooms after security, located in the Terminal 2 international transit/departures area and inside several lounges. This makes it one of the few major African hubs where you can smoke airside during a long Ethiopian Airlines layover without leaving the secure zone.

Bole is Africa’s biggest aviation hub and the main base of Ethiopian Airlines, so it handles huge volumes of connecting passengers on multi-hour transits — exactly the travellers who need to know where the indoor rooms are.

Where to Smoke

  • Public airside smoking room — Terminal 2 international departures. Travellers report it near Gates A11–A12, around the corner from the prayer rooms. Signage is poor, and a 2025 terminal expansion may have moved it, so treat the exact gate as approximate and ask staff if it isn’t where described.
  • Lounge smoking rooms (operator-confirmed). The Plaza Premium Lounge (Terminal 2, after passport control, open 24 hours — entry via Priority Pass or paid walk-in), the Ethiopian Airlines Cloud Nine business lounge, and the Sheba Silver Lounge (opened 2024, built with a designated smoking room) all have indoor smoking areas.
  • Transit caveat. Lighters are frequently confiscated at the transit re-screening, so connecting passengers realistically depend on the indoor rooms rather than carrying their own flame. Outdoor smoking is landside only, before security.

Vaping

IMPORTANT: e-cigarettes, vapes and heated-tobacco products are illegal nationwide in Ethiopia. Import, sale and use are all prohibited under the country’s 2019 food and medicine proclamation. Ethiopian Airlines’ lounge rules also explicitly ban e-cigarettes even inside the designated smoking areas. Do not bring vapes into Ethiopia.

Summary table

AreaSmokingNotes
Indoor smoking room, T2 airsideYesReported near Gates A11–A12
Lounge smoking roomsYesPlaza Premium, Cloud Nine, Sheba Silver
Outdoor airsideNoLandside only, before security
VapingNoIllegal nationwide

For Ethiopia’s airport smoking rules and the vape ban, see our Ethiopia airport guide.

Ethiopian Airlines (Bole Airport lounges & services)

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can you smoke at Addis Ababa Bole Airport after security?

Yes. There are designated indoor smoking rooms after security in the Terminal 2 international departures/transit area and inside several lounges, so you can smoke without leaving the airside zone during a layover.

Where is the public smoking room at Bole Airport?

Travellers report a public airside smoking room in Terminal 2 international departures, near Gates A11–A12 around the corner from the prayer rooms. Signage is poor and a 2025 terminal expansion may have relocated it, so ask staff if you cannot find it.

Which lounges at Addis Ababa Bole have smoking rooms?

The Plaza Premium Lounge (Terminal 2, after passport control, open 24 hours), the Ethiopian Airlines Cloud Nine business lounge, and the Sheba Silver Lounge (opened 2024) all have designated smoking rooms.

Is vaping allowed at Addis Ababa Bole Airport?

No. E-cigarettes, vapes and heated-tobacco products are illegal nationwide in Ethiopia — import, sale and use are all prohibited. Do not bring a vape into the country, and note the airline lounges ban e-cigarettes even inside the smoking rooms.

Can you smoke outside at Bole Airport during a layover?

No. Outdoor smoking is landside only, before security. Transit passengers cannot reach an outdoor area, and lighters are often confiscated at the transit re-screening, so layover smokers rely on the indoor rooms.