Popular Airport | Tan Son Nhat Intl. Airport |
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Popular Airlines | |
Approximate Flight Duration | 9 hour 10 min |
Approximate Travel Distance | 7430 Km |
The airport, which is approximately 6 kilometers of the city center, is located on Bole Road. In the city where public transportation is not very developed, you can use minibuses to reach the airport. Taxi is another transportation alternative that is frequently preferred by visitors. In addition to these, you can get to the airport from the city center by renting a car or by benefitting from the airport shuttle service in case your hotel offers this service.
You can reach the airport by getting on a minibus from the minibus stops located in the city center. Minibuses generally carry passengers to the airport from 5:30 am to 09:00 pm. Although it is relatively cheaper compared to taxi, you should remember that drivers may demand higher amounts from tourists. The fare is about 5 Birr. They may also charge extra amount for each baggage.
Hotel shuttle service is the most comfortable alternative for your travel to the airport. In Addis Ababa city center, there are both small hotels and accommodation centers of chain hotels such as Hilton, Radisson and Sheraton. Some of these hotels offer airport shuttle service. If your hotel offers this service and you want to benefit from this service for your travel to the airport, you should definitely make a reservation in advance.
There are two types of taxis that you can get on to reach the airport. Mercedes taxis of the National Tour Operator (NTO) operate under a company and offer service with more comfortable vehicles. With their predetermined tariffs, they create a more reliable image in terms of the fares. You can ask your hotel to call a NTO taxi for you.
There is no taximeter in the taxis operating in Addis Ababa, so it is advised to agree on the fare before getting on. These yellow taxis are approximately 10 times more expensive than blue-white taxis. You can also reach the airport in a short time with a blue-white taxi which you can find in the city center or waiting in front of hotels. The average fare is between 80 and 100 Birr. The owners of these taxis aren’t companies but individuals. Since there is also no taximeter in blue-white taxis and fares are not standardized by a company, they are more flexible in terms of fares and you should definitely bargain.
You can rent a car from one of the car rental companies that you can find in the city center or from the offices of tour operators. You can also get help from your hotel about renting a car.
Since some roads in Addis Ababa have no name, there isn’t sufficient number of traffic signs throughout the city and there is no traffic light on many roundabouts, traffic flow isn’t in order. For this reason, renting a car during your visit may not be a good option. If you want to rent a car only for travelling to the airport from the city center, you should prefer a company which has an office at the airport.
In order to get to the airport with the car you have rented, connect to Bole Road in the city center, drive southeastward and follow the airport signs.
There are 2 terminals at the airport. Terminal 1, which offers service for domestic flights, is located in the old building. Terminal 2 offers service for international passenger transportation in the new building.
At Bole International Airport, there are many restaurants and cafes in addition to stores and a duty-free shop where you can do some shopping before your flight.
At the airport, there is also a lounge for passengers looking for a comfortable environment and a much larger lounge is now being constructed. Although there is no left luggage service at the airport, you can find other standard airport services such as pharmacy, currency exchange office and ATM.
You can buy a ticket for the bus, or take one of the taxis waiting in front of the terminal as soon as you land in Tan Son Nhat Airport, located just 5 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City center. Another option is to rent a car. It is possible to get to the city center from Tan Son Nhat Airport in 30 minutes by bus and in a maximum of 10 minutes by other means of transportation.
Go out when you arrive at the arrival terminal of the airport, and there you will see the stops of the direct buses to the city center. You can get on bus number 152 by purchasing your ticket immediately from the offices. These light cream and green colored minibus sized buses depart every 30 minutes from Tan Son Nhat Airport to the famous Ben Tanh Market, which is a 15-minute walk from to the city center. It is economical and easy to go to the city center by bus number 152, which runs between 6 am and 6 pm. The single-use fare is only 30 cents as of 2017. In addition to this, bus number 109, operated by SATSCO which runs every 15-20 minutes, provides access to the city center from Tan Son Nhat Airport. The bus number 109, which provides transportation services from 05.30 in the morning to 01.30 at night, departs from the column 18 of the domestic terminal and the column 15 of the international terminal and arrives at Ben Thanh Station within 45 minutes. Some of the bus stops on this route are Troug Son, Tran Quoc Hoan, Hoang Van Thu, Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Pham Ngu Lao Park 2. The fare for bus number 109 varies between 12.000 (less than 5 km) – 20.000 (more than 5 km) Viet Nam Dong as of March 16, 2016.
The taxis, those take you directly from Tan Son Nhat Airport to the center of Ho Chi Minh City, for only 5-7 dollars (150.000-170.000 Viet Nam Dong), wait for the passengers 7/24 outside the terminal. If you want to use private taxis outside the airport, you can ask for a taxi by calling Vinasun Taxi (+84838272727) or Malinh Taxi Group (+84838383838).
The most known car rental companies at Tan Son Nhat Airport arrival terminal are Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and Sixt. If you are going to stay in Ho Chi Minh for a few days, you might benefit from renting a car. Because renting a car on an hourly basis is generally not possible. It would take 10-12 minutes to reach Ho Chi Minh City center by the car you book in advance and pick up as soon as you land.