Swift Connections Guidelines

When passengers transfer between flights, Ethiopian Airlines requires a minimum amount of time between landing and re-boarding to guarantee a smooth connection and reliable delivery of checked baggage. This is known as the Minimum Connection Time (MCT). MCT is not a fixed, single number — it varies by airport, by the type of connection being made (domestic or international on each leg), and by whether the onward flight is operated by Ethiopian Airlines directly (an "online" connection) or handed over to a partner airline (an "offline" connection). The table below lists every airport in the Ethiopian Airlines network together with its published Minimum Connection Time, in hours and minutes.

Ethiopian Airlines' Minimum Connection Times range from as little as 0.20 (20 minutes) for a straightforward domestic-to-domestic connection up to 3.00 (3 hours) for connections that involve immigration, customs, or a change of terminal — such as Delhi and Mumbai. At the airline's Addis Ababa (ADD) hub itself, the MCT is 0.30 (30 minutes) for a domestic-to-domestic transfer and up to 1.00 (1 hour) for transfers between domestic and international flights.

How to Read the Table: Times are written as hours. Minutes, not decimal hours — so 1.30 means 1 hour 30 minutes (not 1.3 hours), and 2.15 means 2 hours 15 minutes. Always check the connection time shown on your e-ticket or itinerary against the figures here before you book a tight transfer.

WHAT CONNECTING PASSENGERS NEED TO KNOW

1. What Is a Minimum Connection Time?

Minimum Connection Time (MCT) is the shortest time required between flights for passengers and baggage to transfer between aircraft. It includes immigration, security, and baggage transfer. MCT varies depending on whether the connection is between international flights (I/I) or between domestic and international flights (D/I or I/D).

2. Connecting Through Addis Ababa (ADD)

Addis Ababa Bole International Airport is Ethiopian Airlines’ home hub. Terminal 2 handles all international flights, while Terminal 1 serves domestic flights. Transfers between terminals may require more time. International-to-domestic connections can take up to 1 hour, while international-to-international transfers take about 0.35 hours.

3. Baggage on Connecting Flights

Checked baggage on Ethiopian Airlines is normally transferred automatically to the final destination if the connection meets the published MCT. If baggage is not submitted on time, ground staff will provide a written slip so passengers can track it.

4. Long Layovers: Free Stopover & Skylight Hotel

Passengers with layovers of 8 to 24 hours in Addis Ababa on Ethiopian Airlines may qualify for a complimentary hotel stay, meals, and transfers under the airline’s stopover program. Accommodation is usually at the Ethiopian Skylight Hotel or Skylight In-Terminal Hotel. Vouchers are issued at check-in or upon arrival in Addis Ababa.

AIRPORT	OFFLINE				ONLINE
AIRPORT	D/D	D/I	I/D	I/I	D/D	D/I	I/D	I/I
Abidjan	0.45	1.10	0.45	0.45	0.45	1.10	0.45	0.45
Abuja	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00
Accra	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45
Addis Ababa	0.30	1.00	1.00	0.45	0.30	0.30	1.00	0.35
Bahir Dar	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00
Bahrain	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00
Bamako	0.30	1.00	0.30	1.00	0.30	1.00	0.30	1.00
Bangkok	1.15	1.15	1.15	1.15	1.15	1.15	1.15	1.15
Bangui	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45
Beijing	1.30	1.30	1.30	1.30	1.30	1.30	1.30	1.30
Beirut	0.20	1.00	1.00	0.45	0.20	1.00	1.00	0.45
Brazzaville	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45
Brussels	0.20	0.50	0.50	0.50	0.20	0.50	0.50	0.50
Bujumbura	0.30	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.30	1.00	1.00	1.00
Cairo	0.30	1.30	1.30	1.30	0.30	1.30	1.30	1.30
Cape Town	0.45	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.45	1.00	1.00	1.00
Dakar	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45
Dammam	1.00	1.30	1.30	1.30	1.00	1.30	1.30	1.30
Dar es Salaam	0.30	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.30	1.00	1.00	1.00
Delhi	1.30	3.00	3.00	1.30	1.30	3.00	3.00	1.30
Dire Dawa	0.30	1.00	1.00	0.45	0.30	1.00	1.00	0.45
Djibouti	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00
Doha	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00
Douala	0.30	1.00	1.00	0.45	0.30	1.00	1.00	0.45
Dubai	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.15	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.15
Dublin	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45
Entebbe	0.30	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.30	1.00	1.00	1.00
Enugu	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00
Frankfurt	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45
Gaborone	0.20	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.20	0.4	0.4	0.4
Goma	0.30	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.30	1.00	1.00	1.00
Guangzhou	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00
Hangzhou	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00
Harare	0.30	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.30	0.45	0.45	0.45
Hong Kong	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00
Jeddah	1.15	2.30	2.30	1.30	1.15	2.30	2.30	1.30
Johannesburg	1.00	1.30	1.30	1.00	1.00	1.30	1.30	1.00
Juba	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00
Kano	0.40	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.40	1.00	1.00	1.00
Khartoum	0.30	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.30	1.00	1.00	1.00
Kigali	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00
Kilimanjaro	0.30	1.15	1.15	1.00	0.30	1.15	1.15	1.00
Kinshasa	0.30	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.30	1.00	1.00	1.00
Kuala Lampur	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00
Kuwait	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00
Lagos	1.00	2.15	2.30	1.15	1.00	2.15	2.30	1.15
Libreville	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45
Lilongwe	0.30	0.45	0.45	1.00	0.30	0.45	0.45	1.00
Lome	0.20	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.20	0.45	0.45	0.45
London	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00
Los Angeles	1.10	1.30	2.00	2.00	1.10	1.30	2.00	2.00
Luanda	0.45	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.45	1.00	1.00	1.00
Lubumbashi	0.30	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.30	1.00	1.00	1.00
Lusaka	0.30	1.00	1.00	0.45	0.30	1.00	1.00	0.45
Madrid	2.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	2.00	1.00	1.00	1.00
Malabo	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00
Malakal	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00
Maputo	0.45	1.00	1.30	1.30	0.45	1.00	1.30	1.30
Milan	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00
Mekele	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00
Mombasa	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00
Monrovia	0.20	1.00	1.00	0.45	0.20	1.00	1.00	0.45
Mumbai	0.30	2.30	3.00	1.30	0.30	2.30	3.00	1.30
Muscat	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00
N’Djamena	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45
Nairobi	0.30	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.30	1.00	1.00	1.00
Narita	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00
Niamey	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45
Ouagadougou	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45	0.45
Paris	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00
Pointe Noire	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00
Riyadh	1.00	1.30	1.30	1.30	1.00	1.30	1.30	1.30
Rome	0.45	1.00	1.00	0.45	0.45	1.00	1.00	0.45
Sao paulo	1.00	1.00	1.30	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.30	1.00
Sana'a	1.00	2.00	2.00	2.00	1.00	2.00	2.00	2.00
Seoul	0.30	1.00	1.30	1.30	0.30	1.00	1.30	1.30
Seychelles	0.30	1.30	1.15	1.00	0.30	1.30	1.15	1.00
Singapore	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00
Stockholm	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00
Tel Aviv	0.20	1.30	1.30	1.30	0.20	1.30	1.30	1.30
Tokyo	0.30	1.00	1.30	1.30	0.30	1.00	1.30	1.30
Toronto	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00
Vienna	0.30	0.30	0.30	0.30	0.30	0.30	0.30	0.30
Washington	0.45	0.45	1.30	1.30	0.45	0.45	1.30	1.30
Zanzibar	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.20	1.00	1.00	1.00

Legend:

Offline	Destinations Ethiopian connects with other airlines
Online	Destinations Ethiopian directly flies to
D/D	Domestic to Domestic
D/I	Domestic to International
I/D	International to Domestic
I/I	International to International

Before you fly: If check in is required, arrive at the airport at least 2 hours before departure.
Passengers who completed online check in but need to drop off baggage should also arrive at least 2 hours before departure.

Plan Ahead for Your Flight from Kigali (KGL)

Due to ongoing roadworks between Prince House, Giporoso, and Masaka are causing major traffic delays leading to Kigali International Airport.

To ensure you do not miss your flight, please follow these updated guidelines:

Arrive Early: Report to the airport at least 4 hours before your scheduled departure time.
Check-in Deadline: Drop your bags and check in before counters close strictly 1 hour before your flight.

Please plan your departure from your residence or hotel accordingly to account for heavy road congestion. Leave extra time for your commute to ensure you do not miss your flight!

Safe travels!

Dear customer

Please note that payment by bank cards issued in Russia is not available on the website. You can email your booking code to ethiopianairlines_ru@aviareps.com or call us at +7 (495) 937-59-45 daily from 10:00 to 19:00. You will be provided with a link to pay for your booking with a Russian bank card.

You can also pay by cash or Russian bank card at the airline's office at: 9 Zemlyanoy Val street, 8th Floor, Business Center “Сitydel”, Moscow, Russia, 105064. Office working hours: Monday - Friday from 10:00 to 19:00.

* The branch of AVIAREEPS AG is an authorised general agent of Ethiopian Airlines in Russia. INN/KPP 9909020040/773851001.

Dear customer

* The branch of AVIAREEPS AG is an authorised general agent of Ethiopian Airlines in Russia. INN/KPP 9909020040/773851001.

Click here to get information about baggage restrictions

Please be notified that for flights departing from Washington, Ethiopian Airlines has temporarily limited excess baggage to a maximum of 2 per passenger making the total number of accepted checked baggage 4 per passenger. The additional 2 excess bags will be accepted on standby and may not be shipped on the same flight.

Travel Advisory

1. All travelers are required to submit thier SG Arrival Card before arriving in Singapore, except:

Those transiting/transferring through Singapore without seeking immigration clearance
Residents travelling through the land checkpoints.

Please note that the SG Arrival Card is not a visa. You may refer to the requirements for entering Singapore for more information.

2. All passengers with travel history to countries with risk of yellow fever in the 6 days prior to arrival in Singapore are required to have a valid yellow fever vaccination certificate. The Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate will only be considered valid if issued 10 days prior to arrival into Singapore.

For the detail information, including the list of countries with risk of yellow fever, click here

If travel is on a short-term visa, you will need to have a return ticket preferably on Ethiopia Airlines. If the return ticket is on other airlines, an indemnity will have to be submitted.
Long-term visas under process - Passengers need to carry the payment receipt and Declaration. Passengers will also need to have a single-entry visa to enter South Africa. If NOT OK TO BOARD pops up during the check-in system, passengers must contact DHA-South Africa to have the status changed and obtain a "Waiver of Unfavor" letter from DHA- South Africa.

Discounted fare is available if:

You are Ethiopian citizen, or you have a proof of residence in Ethiopia. You have an international flight/ticket with Ethiopian Airlines.

Note : It is mandatory to present the document upon ticketing (if payment is made at city/airport ticket offices) and, at time of check-in to the airline on demand. Failure to present the required documents may result in denial of passenger from the flight and refund of ticket after applicable penalty deductions.

No, I hold none of the documents. your ticket must be paid with credit/debit card on the Website/ Mobile App OR pay in cash USD, GBP, or EUR currencies at ticket offices and discounted fare does not apply.

FAKE WEBSITE AND BANK ACCOUNT ALERT

Beware of Scammers

It has come to our notice that scammers are setting up fake websites with similar names to ours to deceive passengers. Our official website is www.ethiopianairlines.com and you can download our mobile app for easier and safer transactions.

Ethiopian officers do not call you for payment or ask you to transfer money to any specific bank account . Ethiopian has city offices and airport offices in four cities in Nigeria, namely Kano, Enugu, Abuja and Lagos; you may visit our offices for any further information.

Travel Advisory

Passport or national identity cards are required for all passengers traveling between Vienna and Copenhagen, along with residence permit or citizenship in one of the Schengen countries. Driving license or other ID cards are not considered as travel documents.
Passengers traveling between Vienna and Copenhagen who require entry visa to Schengen countries must have a valid multiple-entry Schengen visa. Passengers who already used a single-entry Schengen visa to enter Vienna or another Schengen country cannot travel on Ethiopian Airlines flight between Vienna and Copenhagen as their single-entry Schengen visa is already used.

This fare is payable in Ethiopian Birr only if you are an Ethiopian citizen, or you have a residence permit in Ethiopia.

Note:

It is mandatory to present all the necessary documents upon ticketing (if payment is made at city or airport ticket offices) and at the time of check-in to the airline on demand. Failure to present the required documents may result in the denial of the passenger's flight.
If you do not hold any of these documents, your ticket must be paid with credit/debit card on the Website/ Mobile App OR pay in cash in USD, GBP, or EUR currencies at ticket offices.

I have read and understood the above notice.

FAQ Find answers to frequently asked questions.

MCT is the shortest time Ethiopian Airlines needs between an arriving and a departing flight to move a passenger and their baggage safely and on time. It varies by airport and by connection type, ranging from 0.20 (20 minutes) to 3.00 (3 hours) across the network.

At Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, the MCT is 0.30 (30 minutes) for a domestic-to-domestic connection, 1.00 (1 hour) for domestic-to-international or international-to-domestic connections, and 0.35 (35 minutes) for offline international-to-international connections handled with a partner airline (0.45 minutes on Ethiopian's own online international-to-international connections).

They describe the type of connection: D/D is domestic-to-domestic, D/I is domestic-to-international, I/D is international-to-domestic, and I/I is international-to-international. The required minimum time is usually longer whenever a connection crosses between domestic and international status, because it typically involves immigration, customs, or a terminal change.

"Online" MCTs apply to destinations Ethiopian Airlines flies to directly on both legs of the journey. "Offline" MCTs apply when the connection involves another airline that Ethiopian Airlines partners or codeshares with at that airport.

Yes. On an all-Ethiopian Airlines itinerary that meets the published MCT, checked baggage is transferred through to your final

destination. On interline journeys, Ethiopian Airlines receives baggage handed over by the other carrier; if it is not submitted in

time, staff will inform you with a written slip so you know it has not travelled with you.

Ethiopian Airlines' reservation system will not normally construct or ticket a connection that falls below the published

minimum for that airport and connection type. If you believe your itinerary shows a shorter connection, contact Ethiopian

Airlines or your travel agent before travel to confirm it is valid.

If check-in is required, arrive at least 2 hours before your scheduled departure time. This also applies if you have completed online check-in but still need to drop off checked baggage.

Passengers with a layover of 8 to 24 hours on an Ethiopian Airlines ticket qualify for a complimentary hotel stay, meals, and transfers under the airline's stopover programme, generally at the Ethiopian Skylight Hotel or the 97-room Skylight In Terminal Hotel inside Terminal 2. Vouchers are issued at check-in at your origin, or at the transit desk on arrival.

This list covers every airport currently in the Ethiopian Airlines network together with its published MCT. If a destination is missing or you need the figure confirmed for your specific booking, contact Ethiopian Airlines' Support and Feedback team or your travel agent before you fly.

Content accuracy — Figures on this page reflect Ethiopian Airlines' published Swift Connections Guidelines and Interline & Partner Baggage Policy as of August 2026. Minimum Connection Times, check-in cut-off times, and stopover-programme eligibility are reviewed periodically and may change; always verify the connection time shown on your own itinerary before booking a tight transfer. Page last reviewed: August 2026.

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