The launch of services linking Manchester with Addis Ababa, the birth of a new African airline and reports that Ethiopian Airlines’ base has overtaken Dubai as the top transit hub for long-haul passengers to Africa kept the carrier in the news last week.
BTnews.co.uk reports that Manchester becomes Ethiopian’s second UK destination this week with the start of a four-times-a-week service to Addis Ababa. Flights are by Boeing B787 Dreamliner and operate on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
Meanwhile, the airline has been selected as strategic partner for a new home-based carrier for Ghana, with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed last week by Ghana aviation minister Joseph Kofi Adda and Ethiopian CEO Tewolde GebreMariam.
A final agreement is planned to be signed before Christmas with the airline also expected to start flying early next year. It follows the collapse of the state-owned Ghana Airways and later of Ghana International Airlines.
In Addis Ababa, figures from travel consultancy ForwardKeys have revealed Ethiopia taking the top transit hub crown in what officials said was a reflection of the continued expansion by the Ethiopian Airlines Group.
Addis Ababa Airport was said to have increased the number of international transfer passengers to sub-Saharan Africa for five years in a row, a trend that this year has taken it past its Mid-East rival.