A military band played as the coffin, covered in an Ethiopian flag, was taken from the Ethiopian Airlines flight.
Meles died overnight Monday to Tuesday following a long illness. A large crowd had gathered at the airport.
Meles` wife Azeb Mesfin, dressed in black, was seen leaving the plane.
It was not known where the body was to be taken or when the funeral would be held.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, a regional strongman in the volatile Horn of Africa who ruled with an iron fist for over two decades, has died in hospital in Brussels after a long illness, officials said Tuesday.
Meles, a former rebel who came to power in 1991 after toppling the bloody dictatorship of Mengistu Haile Mariam, set Ethiopia on a path of rapid growth and played a key role in mediating regional conflicts, but also drew criticism for cracking down on opponents and curtailing human rights.
US President Barack Obama led tributes to Meles whom he said deserved "recognition for his lifelong contribution to Ethiopia`s development, particularly his unyielding commitment to Ethiopia`s poor".
He said Meles had earned his own personal admiration "for his desire to lift millions of Ethiopians out of poverty" through his efforts to improve food security following a meeting at the G-8 in May.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon praised his "exceptional leadership".
The 57-year-old -- a key Western ally in a region home to Al-Qaeda-linked groups -- had not been seen in public since the G20 summit in Mexico in June.
European Commission spokesman Olivier Bailly said Meles had died in Brussels, but the Ethiopian government said only that he had died abroad.
His body arrived back in Addis Ababa on Tuesday evening. (AK)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
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