At the end of last week, two grand inaugurations that galvanized Ethiopia’s place in the international aviation industry and as the gateway to Africa took place here in Addis Ababa.
The first is an airport terminal expansion which triples Addis Ababa international airport’s passenger capacity. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat inaugurated the state-ofthe-art airport terminal which is funded and built by China for 363 million USD on 74,000 square meters of land.
The project can now accommodate up to 22 million passengers annually from its current 7 million. Also inaugurated the same day was Ethiopian Airlines’ five-star hotel complex near the Airport. Ethiopian Skylight Hotel was built with an outlay of 65 million USD, according to reports. The new hotel was built on a 40,000 square meter land and has 373 rooms with 27 presidential and executive suites, four restaurants, and a conference and banquet hall. It can hold up to 2,000 people at a time. Obviously, Ethiopia has achieved a significant success story in the aviation industry.
Last year, Addis Ababa overtook Dubai as the leading transfer hub for long-haul travel to sub-Saharan Africa. And the inaugurations of the new terminal and hotel will further cement Addis Ababa’s place as Africa’s leading aviation hub. Recently the world has seen Africa’s carriers make impressive strides. Royal Air Maroc, the Moroccan national carrier, is using its Dreamliner fleet to operate long thin routes to multiple continents.
Kenya Airways recently inaugurated direct service to New York. South African Airlines may be dealing with financial struggles, but remains a juggernaut of the region. But, according to Airline Reporter, among the large African carriers, arguably none had a year as big last year as Ethiopian Airlines. “Its fleet has been growing Ethiopian: On the right path to be the best by leaps and bounds and includes fresh faces like the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A350.
The airline has been launching new long-haul routes to destinations like Manchester and Chicago. It has also bumped up frequencies to Washington DC and Chicago and adding service to Houston,” it said. Internationally, Ethiopian has become a major airline worth knowing about with an extensive domestic, regional, and intercontinental route network. From its primary hub, the capital Addis Ababa, Ethiopian operates a number of fifth freedom routes from cities like Hong Kong and Dublin.
Not only that, Ethiopian owns significant stakes in other African carriers like Eritrean Airlines, Malawian Airlines, and Togo’s ASKY Airlines. Ethiopian’s staffs have been contributing to help African countries get flag carriers off the ground. Considering the Ethiopian Airlines group as a whole, it recently became the largest carrier in Africa, carrying 10 million passengers in a single year for the first time.
Over the past few years, Ethiopian Airlines has picked up plenty of new planes to support its growth and save on fuel costs. Its fleet includes ultra-modern models like Boeing’s 787-8 and 787-9 Dreamliner and Airbus’ A350-900 for long-haul operations. It still has a sizable fleet of 777 aircraft to help with long-haul loads. One of the major reasons behind Ethiopian’s success is that despite being state-owned, it operates independently. The state doesn’t meddle in its operations. It has also been equipped with the best pilots and cabin crew who care for the satisfaction of customers.
On top of all, the inauguration of the terminal and hotel would further boost Ethiopia’s place in the industry. As Ethiopian is growing to be Africa’s largest airline by revenue and profit, its Addis Ababa hub has also expanded a state-ofthe-art airport. All in all, the future seems bright for Ethiopian and the country’s aviation industry.
The Ethiopian Herald January 31 /2019
