Review of Air Djibouti flight from Djibouti to Aden in Economy

Intro

Disclaimer: This is not one of my normal reviews, such as United Polaris or Singapore Suites, this is an adventure filled with almost missing my flight, smoking cigarettes with a Yemeni in an airport bathroom, and not having a visa when arriving in Yemen 😅. It's an adventure! 

This is also long, there is a long tourist bonus to show a look into a place that is practically never seen online after the civil war broke out in 2015. 

Welcome to the first proper review on the internet of the national flag carrier of Djibouti: Air Djibouti 🇩🇯. Following an interesting one-night stay in the old part of Djibouti City, it was time to head off to country number 123: Yemen 🇾🇪.

Some Background As To Why

There are a number of main key themes that I want to accomplish in this series, which are some of the following.

Just like my Mogadishu series, there isn't really a lot out there about Aden, so for those looking to visit, you might not know how to.

Showcase a different reality to the media. This is probably the main reason as to why I like to visit these "dangerous" countries, as while there are conflicts that occur, there are also people living everyday lives here. Which brings me onto my next point…

I want to show off how beautiful not only the country is, but also how beautiful the Yemenis are. There are some moments from a sunset trip to the market that show that no matter what hand you are dealt, you can still laugh and smile.

So yeah, I hope this is something that you will enjoy!

Routing

How I Booked/Visa To Yemen

Visa: 

With the North being inaccessible for the time being, this leaves South Yemen. The North and the South are currently split; thus, a visa to the South does not grant you access to the North, and vice versa.

Visiting South Yemen is relatively straightforward if you have someone to help you out. Whether it be a friend or a guide, they must go to the visa consulate in Aden and apply for your visa in person. It usually takes anywhere from 3-10 working days (it's Yemen), and costs somewhere between 150-200$.

In other words, you cannot get a tourist visa if you do not have someone on the ground to help you out.

Note: if you get a visa to South Yemen, it is valid for 30 days, and allows you to also enter Socotra. However, if you get a visa only for Socotra, then you will not be able to enter South Yemen. Make sense? Probably not 😅. 

Flights:

Booking a ticket to South Yemen is actually pretty straightforward, as there are plenty of airlines (I say plenty, but around 3 lol) that fly to Aden. But there is one catch: if you are planning to fly to South Yemen, book your ticket early, as when I went, all of the tickets were sold out to everywhere but Djibouti for 2 weeks straight.

Yemenia: As per usual, Yemenia flies to more destinations than most other carriers. You have daily flights to Cairo and Jeddah, along with 1-2 weekly flights to Riyadh, Dubai, Kuwait (1x weekly), Amman, Djibouti, Addis Ababa, and Mumbai.

Side note: There are also 3 weekly flights from Cairo and Jeddah to Sayun.

Flights start at 600$ round-trip to Djibouti, about a thousand to Cairo and Jeddah, while Dubai and Kuwait can run you about 1-1.2K. If you are thinking about business class, multiply that by about 1.3-1.5x.

African Express: Utilizing an MD82, African Express operates flights from Djibouti to Aden every Thursday and Friday. From what I hear, the price is about 550$ round-trip in economy, and there is no business class.

Air Djibouti: Finally, you have Air Djibouti (this review). This airline operates 5x weekly flights between the cities on an RJ145 in a 1-2 configuration in an all-economy layout. I flew this airline on the way out, and actually really liked it. The cost is the same: about 500$ RT.

Heading To JIB

Enjoying a lovely coffee outside the hotel Menelik in the city center, I bid farewell to my newfound English friends and decided to grab a taxi. I ran into this lovely man, and for the next 20 minutes, we talked about life in Djibouti while practicing my French.

I've been learning French for a while now, and it finally seems to be getting better and better! 

Getting from Djibouti City to the airport is a pretty straightforward task. Simply flag down any taxi driver, and it should cost about 2500 local currency (about 18$) for the 10-minute drive. I might not like Djibouti very much (I'll get to why eventually, but primarily due to cost), but the airport is very efficient and close to everything. 

Dropped off by the taxi driver at 9:30 am, it was time to go and check in for the 12:45 pm departure, or so I thought…

Check-In/Immigration

Heading up the stairs, I was greeted by all the all too familiar Djibouti airport entrance. The morning prior, I had arrived by Ethiopian Airlines, and the airport is so small that departure and arrival are right next to each other.

Clearing the first security checkpoint, I found the small check-in areas featuring 7 desks, which all airlines use here.

Arriving at the desk which was almost empty, the staff informed me that I had almost missed the check-in time. For a 12:45 pm flight? Well, like the dumb buffoon I am, I had relied on flighty, when in fact my ticket said 10:45. My oh my… I told them I had sent my visa and they saw that, but…

Now came the next issue: the supervisor wanted me to check in one of my luggage due to the size of the aircraft. Mashallah, come on, you know I never check in any luggage, like ever. Having flown this same aircraft on Airlink, I knew my bag would fit, so I pushed back a little, and told them I had 12 lithium-ion batteries (true) and they would not fit into one bag.

Sure enough, after 20 minutes, they let me through. 

Okay, Djibouti airport, you guys are either the best or an absolute mess, there is no in between. No more than 50 meters after check-in was immigration, and today, I had the kindest man I had come across this year. He offered me chocolate biscuits as we talked about Djibouti, and he even called me "crazy" for going to Yemen.

He said, "Are you sure you are going to Yemen? Real ticket?"

I replied, "Yes, of course, I will come back in three days."

He said, "I will see you then, my friend, and maybe one day I can take you to my family house in Hargeisa" (Somalia is 5 places, hence the stars on the flag, Djibouti is one"

I replied, "Of course, Mahadsanid, have a nice day". 

The Small Airport of JIB

I've been to my fair share of small airports, and the only flagship airport smaller than Djibouti has to be Juba, South Sudan. You have to carry your bag up the stairs, and at the top is where you will find enough seats for about 50 people, 2 gates, 1 lounge, a duty-free, a smoking area, and one small shop selling beer for 11$ a pop. Madness.

I'm not perfect, and even after traveling to many of the so-called "dangerous places", I was a little nervous and grabbed a beer. You know, this tour guide messaged me on instagram a while back and said, "come to Yemen". No references, the country is in a civil war, and it's probably very dumb that I did this.

Having said that, I trust people, even when I probably shouldn't. My mum always told me, "If you don't put yourself out there, how are you supposed to know what the universe has in store for you?". I think she meant for women, but the concept applies 😅.

With boarding already beginning, I polished off my beer in the bathroom like the true degenerate that I am 😒. This is a unique report so I will post pics of me if that is okay.

Boarding

Heading the longgggg walk over to Gate 2 (about 30 meters), I was pleased to see another security checkpoint. Well, there hadn't been a security checkpoint, so I was like wtf 😳.

It was fast and relatively straightforward, and within no time, we were all through to the waiting room. I loved how three staff members came up to me and asked to see my boarding pass, like, "Yemen, this is to Yemen, you are going to Yemen?". I said, "Yes". 😅

With no wifi (you have to have a Djibouti phone number to access it), and Verizon travel pass not working, all I thought to myself was "I hope my guide shows up at the airport, otherwise I am stranded in Aden".

Oh yeah, I also didn't have a return visa to Djibouti yet, more on that in a bit LOL.

Anyways, with no wifi and twiddling my thumbs like a doofus I am, I headed to the bathroom where I found a Yemeni washing his feet while smoking a cigarette. Talk about multitasking! I bummed one off of him and we chilled out and talked. For those wondering, everyone smokes in bathrooms here, including immigration officers, so don't come at me pleaseee lol.

My face of what the heck is going on lol

With nothing to do whatsoever, I looked out of the window and saw this beautiful A330 (which I am curious who it used to belong to), as well as a Turkish drone flying in. This is how you know you've made it deep into the ends of the world…

And you know what, I had "Cold Heart" by Elton John playing in the background. 

By 10:20, boarding was called. Unfortunately, my 1K status didn't get me pre-boarding 😅, but with a load of only 42 passengers today, we were quickly ushered onto a bus and driven on the short ride to the RJ145 waiting to take us over to Aden. 

For those wondering, Air Djibouti operates a fleet of two aircraft, a 145 and a 145, both pictured above. Today, we were on this beautiful RJ145.

I was standing at the back, letting people on first to be respectful, when that supervisor from before came up to me and offered to take my picture. Not only that, he said that I could sit in the first row of the plane and gave me a fist bump.

So grateful to you, as you made this short flight even more special! So, thank you!

The Seat/Cabin

Stepping onboard, I was pleased to find a very similar setup to the Airlink RJ135 I flew not too long ago to Mozambique. Seats are arranged in a 1-2 configuration, offering so many amenities, I had to go through two pages of notes.

I'm joking. It's simply a seat in a plane with nothing else. No IFE, no wifi, and you can forget about Starlink. And you know what? I'd take this any day over Emirates First Class. Sitting with local Yemenis, and vibing on an airline that no one flies. That is travel. 

Can I just point out how interesting it is to see QR/AM cabinets in the galley? You can tell this plane has been through it!

Departure

Unlike a whole colossal regime that most airlines undergo, boarding was completed by 10:30, at which point the boarding door closed. No pushback tugs, just simply "off we go". 

Djibouti airport is relatively small, but also has quite a large runway due to how many countries have military bases here (including the US, which deploys drones to Somalia and Yemen).

However, there isn't much traffic, so we had a nice and chill back taxi. 

We held for a few moments before the engines fired up, and we had a slow climb out of JIB. Look, I have been on my fair share of "why am I flying this plane?", but this plane was properly showing its age. Not in an unsafe way at all, but more everything rattling as if an orchestra was playing in the galley 😅.

Bye! Djibouti is a cool country, but it is so expensive, and I had this one interaction with a local that left a sour taste in my mouth. But most of the people I met were very friendly to me, and I made some cool contacts for the future there. It is just the price mainly.

The Flight/Service

Contemplating whether I was in over my head, I put on my airpod max and turned on "Where Is the Love" by The Black Eyed Peas. What a tune.

Due to how light we were, we had hit 10,000 feet in a matter of moments, at which point the cabin crew came around to distribute an ice-cold bottle of water. Considering it was 45 degrees Celsius in Djibouti, I welcomed this more than the milk I got when I was a baby 💀.

Once the cabin crew had finished up with the water round, they once again passed through the cabin offering a selection of juice boxes consisting of Mango, Apple, and one other one which I don't remember.

But I had a trick up my sleeve. I knew that I was going to be a touch nervous (nothing like flying into the MOG), so I had bought a pair of white chocolate dairy milk buttons for this exact moment. 

Enjoying the views out of the window, munching on my buttons, it was soon time to descend.

Arrival

No more than 25 minutes after takeoff, the captain came on to announce that we would be descending momentarily into Aden. My word, this is it. We are landing in a place that is deemed to be the most unsafe country in the world, and I am supposed to meet up with a guy whom I have never met.

At this point, I got my first look at Aden. What a beautiful city!

Interestingly, the approach pattern varies on a day-to-day basis, but today we flew South of Little Aden, passing by the South of the Crater (more on these places soon), before making a left bank, another left bank, and then being on…

Short final…

Oh my gosh, how beautiful the ocean is! All of those moments of anxiety quickly vanished when I realized that, wait for it, there are people here, and cars? Wait, you mean the media lied to us??? No way. 

We touched down about 20 minutes ahead of schedule with a very nice landing. Welcome to country number 123!

Interestingly, we taxied by a retired Yemenia Aircraft. What a chubby but beautiful aircraft. 

Idk about this plane though.

Bidding farewell to the flight attendant by door 1, I stepped outside to breathe some of the cleanest air I have breathed in my whole life, all while sweating as if I had just sat in a sauna for the past year. Don't come to Yemen in the summer…

It wasn't over yet, as we were ushered into a bus, ready to go to immigration!

Immigration

Now for the story you have been waiting for (or not idk):

Arriving at immigration, I was waiting to see whether my guide would be there, as usually someone can recognize the only "bule goblok" on the plane…

Well, there was no guide, and there wasn't even a sign of him. For the first time in my life (in this sort of situation), I just laughed for a minute. But then I actually had to think to myself, "what am I going to do". As it would turn out, Aden airport has free wifi. Huh????

So I messaged him, and then he spoke with immigration on speaker for 5 minutes, and eventually he just walked into immigration. LOL. They stamped my passport with a "visa stamp", which is basically a stamp that is a whole page, that says "visa". Quite rare these days.

Sliding the immigration some lunch money (wink wink), we made our way outside into the brutally hot Yemeni weather, ready to go get some… wait for it… American burgers (or the Yemeni version of Shake Shack).

At this point, I knew that Aden is different from what the media portrays, and through the next 12 reports, I will share that with you. 

Tourism Bonus

I will break the trip up into 2 sections: half now, and half in the next Yemenia report. 

Visiting Aden Mall+American Burgers

During my visit to Aden, Yemen, there was a recurring theme of visiting Aden Mall every day, primarily due to it being the place to change money and for eating American food. So I figured I would add it here!

You know what, I really like Aden Mall, perhaps better than any mall in Saudi Arabia or Dubai, and I'll tell you why. You don't have all of the fancy stuff or anything, but you have reasonable prices and kind people throughout the whole mall. Combine that with the vast difference of what the rest of Aden is like, it is as if you are going from South Sudan to Doha. Crazy.

Also, apparently, I was the only caucasian person in the city at the time, so the next day, people were talking to me, saying how they saw me in the mall the day before 😅. People are so nice here, mannnn.

We also changed money. This is about 50$. 100=250,000 Real

Then we ate American burgers as well haha. I have a few issues with food, and while you will see a local meal later, this is primarily what i ate sadly.

They also have their own version of coke/pepsi as they used to get Pepsi product imported through Isreal before the war started.

 It's sort of crazy to think that I had a better burger in Yemen (of all places) than in America, and a delicious pizza as well. Stay tuned for a more local twist, as I did end up eating a local meal, which turned out to be the fish I caught! 

I also had some amazing coffee in the mall every morning. Some of the best i have ever had (2$ per cup, expesnive for Yemen)

Exploring A House Destroyed During The War

In case you haven't gathered, I am not your typical Emirates/Singapore First Class flight reviewer. While I might document those flights, what I love even more is showcasing sides of the world that people rarely see, and humanizing it.

Well, during my time in Aden, Yemen, my guide's brother showed me their family's old beachouse, which was bombed, shot at, and then eventually robbed. To say I was speechless would be an understatement: I was blown out of the water.

Yemen was once a beautiful country. But I guess beautiful is a subjective term, right, and allow me to explain a little bit of Yemen's history in this post.


Back in the 1800s, the British took control of Aden, and actually used Aden as a base for their operations both trade-wise and to abolish slavery 

During this time, South Yemen was a somewhat thriving place. It was in an economically good place, people from all religions were there, and it got to the point where they even had nightclubs. Yes, nightclubs!

Well, come 1967 when the British picked up shop and quite frankly "f*cked off", they didn't leave it in the best of states

Since then, Yemen hasn't really found a lot of peace. The Houthis moved in to attempt to unite the nation in 2015, but eventually the Saudi/UAE showed up

Now the Saudi/UAE are in control of the South, but there is lots of opposition lowkey against the current govt. They have blocked the port access mostly, due to Saudi being so close, and it's more the mentality of "control" versus "prosperity" (from what someone told me on the ground in Aden).


So this brings me to this house, and why it is so significant.

Back before the Civil War, my guide informed me that he and his family used to come every weekend to this beach house and play as kids. It was a peaceful time, and they would share tea, meals, and go swimming in the ocean. It was a beautiful story to hear, and one that kind of melted my heart. From smoking shisha, to this… 

My guide's brother (who I will not name), gave me a tour of the house. As we went upstairs, he turned to me and said, "I remember coming back for the first time and seeing broken glass on the floor and a bullet hole. I will never forget it". 

I mean, as (scrap tourist) a human, how are you supposed to respond to that? Sorry ain't gonna cut it…

Anyways, here are some more pictures from the attack on Aden from Saudi Arabia. To think that they are currently running the government partially while this occurred; it is wild to me. I love the people of Yemen so much, so it sucks when they reach out to me and say stuff like "Yemen will never improve with the current government"

I don't know everything after 4 days in Yemen, I am just the middleman here..

From a beachfront property to this:

To make matters worse, after the Saudis/UAE seized control of Aden, this is where life truly came into motion. With the country falling into shambles economically, people had to make a living somehow. In came the looters who would go to abandoned houses like these (the rich houses) and take every single item out of them.

Down to the letter. They would take the wall sockets, the banisters, the glass. Heck, they would even dig up the electrical wires outside to sell off. And you know what? I hold zero judgment. How could I? Here I am, a little western tourist who has never had to face this kind of hardship, and to be honest, if I were in the same situation, I would probably do the same.

This is a country stricken by international intervention, but what few outside of Yemen realize. Heartwrenching.

Little Aden (Market+Sunset)

For the last tourism bonus, I would like to share the most unbelievable part of the trip

When I visit off-the-beaten-path destinations, two of my favorite activities are visiting a local market and watching sunsets. When walking through a local market, you get a certain feel to a country, not one that you can read in the news, but you start to see people as people. Whether it be those sitting having tea, the vendors selling fish off a stall, or a screaming baby, it all makes the experience whole.

So, without further ado, I'd like to share with you what a market is like in Little Aden (with the bonus of a beautiful sunset in the small but quaint town). 

Located about a 40-minute drive from Old Aden lies the small town of Little Aden. Not many people know about Little Aden as a foreigner, but it's a cute little beachside town that is perfect for swimming.

Well, after bumping Katy Perry in the car the whole way to Little Aden, my guide took me up to a viewpoint overlooking the small town. Can I just say? How beautiful is this!

So while the main town of Aden was once a historical figure in the British Empire, not much is known about Little Aden. There is some history about a helicopter captain which I'll touch on later, but it was interesting to see these cargo ships anchored off of Little Aden. From what I understand, this is where they hang out for a few weeks before embarking on their next voyage through Somali pirate-infested waters (I love Somalia, but there still are some Pirates, there are). 

Overall, I didn't spend much time up here, but these views were truly magnificent. Imagine living in one of those beachfront properties and waking up every day to the sound of the waves. Gorgeous. 

With the urgent need to take a dip in this beautiful Yemeni Ocean, I had forgotten my towel at the knockoff Marriott Hotel I was staying at 😅. No worries, my guide said, as there was a market close by. Verging on golden hour, it was the perfect opportunity to catch the end of the selling day, while seeing what the people were up to in post-work activities.

Arriving at the local market, the shops were beginning to close down for the day. People were relaxing, enjoying a nice tea or some of the local food, and everyone looked at me as if they had just seen a ghost (not many tourists visit). Not quite a local market in Kabul, but it was peaceful in its own way.  

By the way, did you know that Yemen has some of the freshest fruit in the whole world! It is so good in the north that it becomes a main export from North Yemen to many countries. Just look at the colors!

But here is where I low-key shut up about dilly-dallying and get real with you for a second. As I walked around this market, these three brothers came up to me and asked if I could take their picture (I had a camera on me).

Yemeni people are beautiful, both in their hearts and in their smiles. Despite all of the resilience they have had to face, the fact that these three brothers could share a laugh with me meant more to me than they will ever know. I'll let the picture speak, as it tells a thousand words.

It became a whole thing, and the local Yemenis began to get involved. One of the brothers asked if I could take a picture of one of the local fruit vendors, and so I more than happily obliged.

And with that, I just want to say to everyone reading this: no matter where you are in the world or who you are with, embrace and be grateful for the smaller things in life. It's those moments that you overlook that might just change your trajectory, or at least your outlook on life.

Thank you to the people who showed me overwhelming amounts of kindness here ❤️

Sunset In Little Aden

Somehow, talking my way out of constant conversation, my guide and I managed to slip away just in time to head off for the sunset close by. Unlike most places in the world, there are no fences designating where you can and where you cannot go. Thus, we ended up in one of the most beautiful backdrops I have seen in my life.

It was striking: a military checkpoint to my right, kids playing football below, and some of the most jaw-dropping mountains you have ever seen in your life right above. Wow. That right there tells it all. No matter the safety situation, there is always going to be beauty, and kids being kids. As I like to call it: humanity and humility. 

And if I can leave you with one final story.

This mountain below represents one of the most famous mountains in Aden. When the British were leaving Aden in 1967, a helicopter pilot didn't want a Yemeni to have his car. In the middle of the night, this helicopter pilot took his car and dropped it on top of the mountain. To this day, that car is still there, and it has a great resemblance to a lot of nations that suffer from current instability. 

My heart is with the Yemeni people, and I hope that the situation can improve going forward.

Thank you for reading, and I hope that this flight-report showed you a different side to Yemen 🇾🇪 ❤️. شكراً