The 30th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) will take place from 22nd to 29th January 2018, under the theme “Winning the Fight against Corruption: A Sustainable Path to Africa’s Transformation”.
The Summit will be held at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia as follows:
22nd – 23rd January 2018: 35th Ordinary Session of the Permanent Representatives’ Committee
25th – 26th January 2018: 32nd Ordinary Session of the Executive Council
28th – 29th January 2018: 30th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union.
Bole International Addis Ababa Airport will be receiving many VVIP flights during this occasion. We would like to draw your attention the following points:
1. Hotel availability
While availability of 4-star hotel accommodations is generally good throughout the year, there are occasional periods of heightened demand where preferred hotel options may sell out. The African Union Summit, which takes place in Addis Ababa each January, is one period when hotel pricing spikes and room availability can be challenging.
2. Short notice requests
For short notice accommodation requests, particularly during busy local event periods, it’s best to work with your 3rd-party provider. Local ground handlers are not usually involved in facilitating short notice accommodations requests but will assist as needed.
4. Rental vehicle options
For crews familiar with the Addis Ababa, renting a vehicle may be an option to consider. For first time visitors, or those not accustomed to the region, we always recommend obtaining a car with driver. Travel within the capital can be tricky as the city has been under continuous construction for some time. When renting a car in Ethiopia it’s possible to choose the option or having a driver included. This is recommended, particularly if you’re able to arrange a driver who speaks your language.
5. Visa requirements
Crew members listed on the Gen-Dec do not require visas to enter the country, irrespective of nationality. Passengers from specific countries and regions – the European Union (EU) and U.S. included – have the option of obtaining Ethiopian visas on arrival. Other nationals need to obtain required visas prior to arrival. It’s recommended that you speak to your 3rd-party provider to ground handler for visa requirements.
6. Identification and vaccinations
When off-airport in Ethiopia a passport is the best form of identification to carry. However, for security reasons, crew usually prefer to carry scanned copies of their passports and keep the originals locked up in the hotel. Yellow fever is the only vaccination you’ll need to officially consider when operating to Ethiopia, and only when arriving from certain endemic countries. Additional preventative vaccinations may be recommended by your health provider, but these are optional considerations for Ethiopia.
7. Security considerations
Airport security is very good at all larger airports in Ethiopia. When off airport, it’s important – as with anywhere in the world – to be aware of your surroundings and practice general security precautions. General crime activity, however, is not usually a problem here. Be very careful if traveling close to border regions with Somalia as this neighboring country remains unstable, experiences occasional terror activity and is not crime free. For additional information, read our series on security awareness and planning.
Operators are advised to bring their own tow-bar & aircraft gear pin specially for bigger a/c like B-747 as per the standard practice. However ,In case the tow bar is available at ADD, ET handling may allow to use same .Furthermore, the reason for the need of tow bar is just to avoid taxi-in parking which requires more space to turn for parking & also the area may not be suited for starting engines with jet blast.
More information and airport FAQ can be found on our webiste : https://www.sonicjet.aero/add