Awassa Airport (AWA), Awasa

AWA is the IATA airport code for Awassa Airport (Awasa, Ethiopia). Its ICAO code is HALA.

Airport

Awassa Airport is a large airport in Awasa, Ethiopia with scheduled passenger flights. Its longest runway is 3,000 m long (asphalt), at an elevation of 1,661 m (5,450 ft).

Basic Information

Full Name

Awassa Airport

IATA Code

AWA

ICAO Code

HALA

Location

Awasa, Ethiopia

Continent

Africa

Time Zone

East Africa Time (UTC+3)

Traveller guide to Awassa Airport

The airport at a glance

Hawassa Airport (AWA) serves Hawassa, the capital of Ethiopia's Sidama Region, about 275 km south of Addis Ababa. It was the 19th airport built in Ethiopia and is run by the state-owned Ethiopian Airports Enterprise.
Ethiopian Airlines is the only airline with scheduled passenger flights, and the route is to Addis Ababa Bole (ADD). Flying time is about 50 minutes to 1 hour. Ethiopian flew it with Bombardier Q400 turboprops when the service began in 2016.
The airport has a 3 km asphalt runway, designed to take aircraft as large as the Boeing 777. Construction of the new airport began in 2015, and it replaced an old dirt runway inside the city.
Hawassa was chosen as one of Ethiopia's agro-industrial zones, so the airport was also planned to handle cargo.

Arriving in Ethiopia

Foreign visitors need a visa to enter Ethiopia. Apply for an e-visa online at evisa.gov.et before departure and carry a printed copy.
A tourist visa on arrival is available only to eligible nationalities, and only for tourism. Eligible countries are listed on the e-visa website.
Visa-on-arrival fees are paid in USD, EUR, GBP or CAD, and card payments are accepted. An e-visa payment receipt alone is not an approval. If you have not secured an approved e-visa beforehand, you must pay the fee again on arrival in Addis Ababa.
Travel for work, meetings, NGO activity, media work or investment needs prior approval from the Immigration and Citizenship Service. It cannot be done on a visa on arrival.
Hawassa's only scheduled flights are domestic, from Addis Ababa. International visitors normally complete immigration at Addis Ababa Bole before continuing.

Before you fly to Ethiopia: visa and forms →

Guide researched and checked: 16 Oct 2026

Sources (7)

How early to be at AWA

International flights: 3 to 3.5 hours before departure
Domestic flights: 2 to 2.5 hours before departure

Our estimate for a normal day; the airport publishes no figure of its own.

Check-in usually closes 40 to 60 minutes before departure. Your airline's own time is on its website and your booking, and it always wins.

All details for AWA →

An estimate, never a promise. Check your airline before you go. How we work this out

Before you fly to Ethiopia: visa and forms

Key facts

Scheduled passenger flights

Yes

Size

Large Airport

Elevation

1,661 m (5,450 ft)

Longest runway

3,000 m (9,843 ft), asphalt

Airport facts from OurAirports (public domain), checked 16 Oct 2026.

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AWA: questions and answers

What is the airport code of Awassa Airport?

The airport code of Awassa Airport is AWA (IATA) and HALA (ICAO).

Which city is AWA airport in?

Awassa Airport is in Awasa, Ethiopia.

Does Awassa Airport have scheduled passenger flights?

Yes. AWA has scheduled passenger flights; see the airlines that fly here on this page.

Contact

Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awasa_Airport

Nearby airports

Arba Minch Airport (AMH) 152 km

More airport guides in Ethiopia

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