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Addis Ababa to Dubai is recognized as Africa's 16th largest intercontinental passenger market, and notably the second largest within the sub-Saharan region, surpassed only by London Heathrow-Lagos. In 2023, combined airline data revealed that Addis Ababa saw 401,000 point-to-point passengers traveling exclusively between the two cities. This translated to an average of 549 passengers daily each way, with most travelers identified as laborers and traders. The traffic volume increased by 6% compared to 2019 and by 155% compared to 2014.
The market is directly served by Ethiopian Airlines, Emirates, and flydubai. While these airlines collectively offered five daily flights in 2023 and much of 2024, this frequency is set to increase to six daily flights starting December 2024 into 2025.
Ethiopian Airlines operates triple daily flights primarily using its widebody fleet. In December, flights are mainly operated on the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, which is the carrier's highest-capacity equipment. Other aircraft such as the Boeing 777-200LR, Airbus A350-900, Boeing 787-8, and occasionally the new Airbus A350-1000 will also be used. Flydubai will operate double daily services using Boeing 737-800 and Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft from December onwards. Emirates has recently returned to offering a daily service using a Boeing 777-300ER after previously operating six times weekly.
