Ethiopian Airlines to link Chengdu with Africa, open seven new destinations mid 2017

Africa’s largest airline group, Ethiopian Airlines, has concluded preparations to start new flight to Chengdu, China, three times weekly from June 3, 2017. Chengdu is the country’s western centre of logistics, commerce, science and technology, as well as a hub of transportation, manufacturing and communication.

Chengdu is also a major hub for Air China, Ethiopian Airlines’ Star Alliance partner. With this new flight, passengers from Ethiopian vast and growing network in Africa will be able to connect to dozens of cities in China partnership with Air China, including Shenzhen, Kunming, Hangzhou, Xiamen, Wuhan, Changsha and Urumqi.

Group Chief Executive Officer, Ethiopian Airlines, Mr Tewolde GebreMariam, said “We are glad to launch services to Chengdu, our fifth gateway to the Republic of China. Since our first flight 43 years ago, China has been a key market and it is now the largest per country market in our system.

“Using the geocentric location advantage of our hub in Addis Ababa, we are connecting China, the world’s second largest economy and Africa’s biggest trade and investment partner with 52 cities in the continent of Africa.

“With the addition of Chengdu, we shall offer the best and fastest connectivity options with a total of 34 weekly flights to China, operated with the latest and most comfortable B787 and B777 aircraft.

“Our Chinese customers will also enjoy seamless connection on Ethiopian vast intra African network and farther to São Paulo in Brazil.”

Ethiopian is investing to make Addis Ababa a Chinese-friendly hub airport for the continent. We now have Mandarin translators and signage available at the airport transit area and in the Cloud-Nine Business Class Lounge.

Chinese New Year is also marked every year at Addis Abba Airport. Ethiopian was the first African carrier and the fourth in the world to fly to China back in 1973.

In addition to the three weekly flights to Chengdu to be launched in June, Ethiopian currently operates daily nonstop flights to Beijing, 10 weekly nonstop to Guangzhou, and 6 weekly nonstop to Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, Ethiopian Airlines is delighted to announce that it will launch seven new destinations within five months during the 2017 calendar year.

This is one of the greatest expansions in Ethiopian’s long and history. From February to June, Ethiopian will launch new service to Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe), Antananarivo (Madagascar), Conakry (Guinea), Oslo (Norway), Chengdu (China), Jakarta (Indonesia) and Singapore (Singapore). With the addition of these stations, Ethiopian will have service from Addis Ababa to 98 different international cities located across the world.

According to GebreMariam, said “Africa’s share of the Global Aviation is the smallest which is only around three per cent.

As the largest airline group in the continent, we are highly concerned on the low base of air connectivity in the continent and we are setting record expansion to enable Africans enjoy safe, reliable and economical air connectivity both within the continent and between the continent and the rest of the world.

“Looking beyond the current economic slowdown especially in the oil export dependent economies of Africa, we firmly believe that the continent will become the magnet for foreign direct investment, trade and tourism, which are the engines of air travel growth and in turn efficient air connectivity also drives socio-economic development and we are happy to contribute our share in the 21st Century African Transformation.”