Ethiopian Airlines announces expansion plans for Europe

Ethiopian Airlines flies to 19 destinations in Europe in the winter. More goals may be added next year.

London Gatwick Airport resumed service by Ethiopian Airlines in November this year after a 17-year hiatus. Since May, the airline has also been flying to Copenhagen as part of the Fifth Freedom flight between Vienna and Copenhagen. There will also be new flights to Madrid from December. But this is not enough. Next year, the Star Alliance member would like to travel to other destinations in Europe, e.g Simple flying mentioned.

The second destination is planned in the north of the UK

Africa’s largest airline, Ethiopian Airlines, wants to fly to more destinations in Europe next year. The airline’s Director of Commercial Operations, Lemma Yadecha Gudeta, spoke to SimpleFlying about the new destinations in Europe. Flights to Lisbon can already be reported as a “done deal”, provided the airline obtains the necessary places, which are known to be in short supply at the airport. Lemma Yadecha Gudeta describes the start of flights to Dublin as “a dead end situation”. In March 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, Ethiopian Airlines suspended its flights to the Irish capital.

Amsterdam can also be served if the airline obtains slots for the airport. The start of flights is likely directly related to the removal of the flight limit at Schiphol Airport. The last Ethiopian Airlines flight to Amsterdam was in 2007, with a stop in Frankfurt. Warsaw will also be served. The airport, located south of the Polish capital, serves as another hub for the Star Alliance with LOT Polish Airlines. Ethiopian Airlines, another member of the Star Alliance, can fly to the centre.

Another destination in the north of the UK is to follow. Due to the current Air Service Agreement, which stipulates that Ethiopian Airlines is allowed to operate 28 flights per week to the UK, Ethiopian Airlines can fly to additional destinations. The airline currently operates 15 flights per week – daily to London Heathrow Airport, three times weekly to London Gatwick Airport, and a further five weekly flights to Manchester – as part of its Fifth Freedom flight via Geneva. Edinburgh or Glasgow are particularly likely destinations.

In the assessment period (September 2022 – September 2023), 116,000 travelers traveled to Sub-Saharan Africa. This corresponds to about 317 daily passengers. Johannesburg and Cape Town as well as Lagos and Nairobi currently represent the largest transfer markets from London Heathrow and Manchester for Ethiopian Airlines, and it is envisaged that one of the destinations will initially not be operated non-stop, but with a stop on Ethiopian Airlines. European mainland.

Conclusion on the expansion plans of Ethiopian Airlines

I wrote in mid-October that I found the airline’s presence within Europe really impressive. At that time, I was missing contacts with Central and Eastern Europe, for example with Star Alliance centers like Warsaw. Warsaw will be one of these destinations to be traveled to in the future. It makes sense to me that Ethiopian Airlines would want to fly to airports like Lisbon or Amsterdam. Both airports and cities are not only first-class tourist destinations, but also major transport airports to North and Latin America.