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Flying from Addis Ababa to Dubai?

Add a departure date and see which side gets the sun.

About this route

Addis AbabaDubai

A medium flight from Ethiopia to United Arab Emirates. Dubai is 1 hour ahead. Don't forget to adjust your watch on arrival!

Route type International
Distance 2,519 km / 1,565 mi
Distance class Medium-haul
Direction Northeastbound
Est. duration About 3h 15m
Time change Destination +1h

This route crosses the Tropic of Cancer, the northernmost latitude where the sun passes directly overhead.

Departing from

ADD

Addis Ababa Bole International Airport

Location Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Time zone GMT+3 · UTC+3
Current time

The new flower

Addis Ababa sits at over 2,350 meters (7,700 feet) on the Ethiopian highlands, one of the highest capital cities in the world, with a climate far cooler than its tropical latitude would suggest. The city's light rail network doesn't reach Bole Airport, so taxis and ride-hailing cover the trip. It serves as the diplomatic capital of Africa, hosting the African Union's headquarters and a large diplomatic community. The altitude can be noticeable to visitors, especially with any physical exertion in the first day or two.

Surrounding hubs

1,550 km / 963 mi
1,763 km / 1,095 mi
1,964 km / 1,220 mi

Arriving at

DXB

Dubai International Airport

Location Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Time zone GMT+4 · UTC+4
Current time

The city that rose from the desert

Dubai is a coastal city on the Persian Gulf that grew in a few decades into a dense spine of towers strung along a single highway. Most of what visitors come for sits near the water or that main road: the beaches, the malls, Dubai Creek, the old trading waterway, and the tallest building in the world. It is hot for much of the year and built around cars and taxis, though a driverless metro runs the length of the city. Distances look short on a map but stretch out in the heat.

Nearby airports

116 km / 72 mi

Surrounding hubs

574 km / 357 mi
855 km / 531 mi
874 km / 543 mi
How it works

Find out which side of the plane to sit on.

Pick your airports, set your departure time, and you're done.

We calculate the sun's position based on your flight path and departure time, then tell you which side of the plane gets direct sun and which stays shaded. No guessing, just math.

01

Enter your flight

Pick your departure and arrival airports and set your departure time at the departure airport. FlightSide estimates the duration and you can adjust it if you know the exact schedule.

02

We track the sun along your route

Your flight path is broken into hundreds of points. At each one we check where the sun is and which side of the plane it faces.

03

You get a recommendation

Which side of the plane to sit on, left or right, depending on whether you'd rather avoid the sun or enjoy it. The percentages and the map are there if you want to see why.

Want to go deeper? Accuracy, edge cases, polar routes — see the FAQ →

Latest journal

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Small updates, route observations, and clearer explanations for how the app keeps evolving.