Terminal 1 only has this one 24/7 lounge.

VIP Lounge in T1 runs 24/7, serving the smaller side of Addis Ababa operations while most premium traffic sits in the Terminal 2 lounge complex. If your flight leaves from T1 and you have airline-provided access, this is basically the only lounge option on this side of the airport.

The lounge sits airside in Terminal 1 after security, so you need a same-day boarding pass from a T1 airline partner to get in. Reviews and FlyerTalk posts point to a single T1 lounge open around the clock, which lines up with this VIP Lounge being the one people refer to when talking about Terminal 1 at ADD.

Hours are simple: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, which lines up with ADD’s overnight bank of departures and arrivals. That full-day schedule makes it useful for odd 02:00 or 04:30 flights that still use T1, when most cafes around the airport either close early or run on reduced service.

Access runs through eligible airlines using Terminal 1 rather than through a clear cash day-pass program; current data lists day pass pricing as unknown rather than a hard ETB or USD amount. If you’re flying economy and don’t see lounge access printed on your boarding pass or app, assume you don’t get in and confirm at check-in before walking all the way down to T1 gates.

FlyerTalk users count four 24-hour lounges in Terminal 2 and just one in Terminal 1, so set expectations accordingly. Space, food choice, and seating variety in T1 usually trail the bigger Terminal 2 set-up, which gets most of the money and traffic from Ethiopian’s long-haul operation.

Food and drink details are thin, and there’s no consistent dish or bar item that regulars single out by name, unlike in some T2 lounges where specific Ethiopian dishes get mentioned. Plan on basic buffet-style snacks and soft drinks rather than a full restaurant-level meal, then grab a proper sit-down bite in the main terminal if your layover runs longer than 3 hours.

One practical tip: if you land into T2 and connect out of T1, factor in a terminal change plus security and try to reach the VIP Lounge at least 60 minutes before boarding time; ADD can bunch queues quickly when multiple departures leave within the same 30-minute bank.