africanflyer

Ethiopian Airlines has leased two B744s for a period of 5 years. The aircraft, both ex-Malaysia Airlines combis, will join the airline starting this summer and will be deployed on the Addis Ababa to Lagos, Dubai, Brazzaville, Kinshasa and Luanda routes.

Ethiopian Airlines has announced that it is to withdraw its fleet of three DHC-6 from domestic service citing high maintenance costs associated with the aging aircraft. The Twin Otters are currently used on services to cities having inadequate airfields to accomodate the Fokker 50.

Ethiopian Airlines introduced e-ticketing on flights between Addis Ababa and Nairobi on February 20. This service is slated to be expanded to the rest of its destinations in time before the deadline set by IATA.

Ethiopian Airlines’s summer schedule, which is set to take effect the last week of March with changes throughout the summer, sees the following enhancements:

- ET702/703 Stockholm Sweden will see an increase from the current 2x per week to 3x per week, with all flights operated via Rome FCO. Current schedules will be maintained.

- ET704/705 Paris Charles De Gaulle will be operated nonstop with a B763, taken off the current flight that goes via Frankfurt. Paris will be extended to Brussels, a new destination. This flight will be operated 3x per week.

ET704 ADD - CDG: 2320 - 600 Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays
ET704 CDG - BRU: 700 - 800
ET705 BRU - CDG: 2105 - 2205
ET705 CDG - ADD: 2305 - 720

- ET706/707 Frankfurt will be extended to Amsterdam, increasing service to the latter from the current 2x to 3x per week

ET706 ADD - FRA: 2355 - 620 Tuesdays, Thursdays, Sundays
ET706 FRA - AMS: 720 - 830
ET707 AMS - FRA: 2115 - 2225
ET707 FRA - ADD: 2325 - 725

- ET708/709 London Gatwick will see increased service from the current 3x to 4x per week, nonstop on the outbound, stopping at Rome FCO on the inbound. Current schedules will be maintained.

- ET700/701 London Heathrow will be maintained at 3x per week, with a stop at Rome FCO on the outbound, operated nonstop on the inbound. Heathrow will still be operated with a daytime flight, although all flights depart and arrive at the same times

- ET452/453 Cairo’s nighttime service operated nonstop will increase from the current 2x to 3x per week. Current schedules will be maintained.

- ET450/451 Cairo’s daytime service, operated via Khartoum, will increase from the current 3x to 4x per week. Current schedules will be maintained.

- ET900/901 Lagos will be adjusted to return to Addis at 2100hrs, as opposed to the current arrival of 2300. The current frequency will be maintained

ET901 ADD - LOS: 900 - 1210
ET902 LOS - ADD: 1340 - 2100

- ET902/903 Accra will be adjusted to return to Addis at 2100hrs, as opposed to the current arrival of 2300. The current frequency will be maintained, and the flight will no longer continue on to Abidjan.

ET902 ADD - ACC: 845 - 1130 Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays
ET903 ACC - ADD: 1230 - 2100

- ET909/908 Dakar, Sénégal is a city that Ethiopian returns to after a few years’ absence. Flights will be operated daily, with three operated via N’Djamena and Bamako, and the rest via Lome and Abidjan (below).

ET909 ADD - NDJ: 950 - 1130 Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays
ET909 NDJ - BKO: 1230 - 1455
ET909 BKO - DKR: 1615 - 1745
ET908 DKR - BKO: 700 - 830
ET908 BKO - NDJ: 940 - 1410
ET908 NDJ - ADD: 1500 - 2045

- ET906/907 Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire will be adjusted to have the inbound flight return the next day, also returning around 2100hrs. Abidjan flights will be operated via Lome, Togo, the latter which is currently operated via Douala. Finally, Dakar will also be operated via Abidjan, a return to the city

ET906 ADD - LFW: 950 - 1220 Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays
ET906 LFW - ABJ: 1320 - 1420
ET906 ABJ - DKR: 1510 - 1805
ET906 DKR - ABJ: 700 - 945
ET907 ABJ - LFW: 1030 - 1130
ET907 LFW - ADD: 1215 - 2045

- ET905/904 and ET915/914 Libreville, Gabon is a new destination which will be operated 4x per week as part of a triangle route with Douala Cameroon

ET915 ADD - LBV: 850 - 1130 Tuesdays, Fridays
ET914 LBV - DLA: 1215 - 1310
ET914 DLA - ADD: 1410 - 2050

ET905 ADD - DLA: 850 - 1130 Wednesdays, Saturdays
ET904 DLA - LBV: 1230 - 1325
ET904 LBV - ADD: 1410 - 2045

- ET809/808 Johannesburg will see an increase from the current 4x to 5x per week. The current schedules will be maintained.

- ET873/872 Lusaka will see an increase of four flights per week, bringing it to daily. While flights will be operated as part of a triangle route with Harare 3x per week (per current schedules), the rest of the week will see the flight operated via Lilongwe, which sees a decrease from the current 5x per week to just 4x.

ET873 ADD - LUN: 930 - 1240 Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays
ET872 LUN - LLW: 1340 - 1455
ET872 LLW - ADD: 1555 - 2025

- ET813/812 and ET821/820 Juba, Sudan is a new destination, which will be served 4x per week, twice via Entebbe, Uganda, and twice via Nairobi, Kenya. The latter two will maintain their existing frequencies.

ET813 ADD - NBO: 925 - 1125 Mondays, Fridays
ET813 NBO - JUB: 1320 - 1400
ET812 JUB - NBO: 1445 - 1720
ET812 NBO - ADD: 1820 - 2020

ET821 ADD - EBB: 940 - 1140 Wednesdays, Saturdays
ET821 EBB - JUB: 1320 - 1355
ET820 JUB - EBB: 1440 - 1730
ET820 EBB - ADD: 1830 - 2030

- ET610/611 Mumbai will see an increase in frequency by one flight per week, bringing the total to 5x per week. The outbound schedule will also be brought back to before midnight.

ET610 ADD - BOM: 2330 - 720 Daily except Thursdays and Saturdays
ET611 BOM - ADD: 350- 645

- ET608/609 and ET6606/607 Bangkok, Ghangzhou and Hong Kong will maintain their current schedules of 3x per week to Hong Kong, and 4x to Guangzhou via Bangkok. However, the outbound schedule will be brought back to before midnight, while the inbound remains unchanged.

- ET604/605 Delhi & Peking will see an increase in frequency from the current 3x per week to 4x per week. The outbound schedule will be brought back to before midnight, while the inbound remains unchanged.

- ET404/405 & 414/415 Tel Aviv will see an increase in frequency from the current 5x per week to 6x per week. The flight will be split among two schedules.

ET404 ADD - TLV: 2010 - 0050 Tuesdays, Thursdays, Sundays
ET405 TLV - ADD: 240 - 710

ET414 ADD - TLV: 230 - 710 Tuesdays, Thursdays, Sundays
ET415 TLV - ADD: 900 - 1330

Photographer © Raimund Stehmann

MyAviation.net

Ethiopian Airlines has leased two B752s to supplement its existing fleet of B763s, B752s and B73Ws. Both aircraft were originally delievered to TWA in 1997 and 1999.

Ethiopian Airlines is adding an extra flight between Addis Ababa and Washington DC during the upcoming peak Holiday travel season, between December 16 and January 20. The extra flight will be operated on Fridays and will follow the existing schedule.

Ethiopian Airlines’ new winter schedule that takes effect at the end of October sees major operational changes, with a wide mix of daytime and night time departures out of Addis Ababa, as opposed to the current departures that are predominantly at night. In addition to this, a number of increases in frequency to existing destinations are noted:

- Lagos gets a dedicated daily 763, leaving ADD in the morning, arriving at base at night. The aircraft does not continue on to another city.

- Accra goes nonstop, 4x per week on a 763 continuing on to Abidjan, leaving ADD in the morning and arriving at base at night.

- Lome, Togo retains 3x per week, this time via Douala, Cameroon (the latter is upped from the current 2x) on a 752, leaving ADD in the morning and arriving at base at night.

- Dubai goes 2x per day on a 752 and 763. Both leave ADD overnight, returning in the morning.

- Jeddah retains 3x per week with a mix of 763s and 73W, leaving ADD overnight, returning in the morning.

- Frankfurt and Paris get 3x per week, leaving ADD overnight, returning the next day overnight: aircraft will be parked all day at CDG.

- Amsterdam retains 2x per week, both via Rome, leaving ADD overnight, returning the next day overnight: aircraft will be parked all day at AMS.

- Stockholm retains 2x per week, both via Rome, leaving ADD overnight, returning the next day overnight: aircraft will be parked all day at ARN.

- Heathrow is cut back to 3x per week, retaining the existing schedules and routing via Rome only on the outbound flights.

- Gatwick goes up to 3x per week, all leaving ADD overnight, returning overnight out of LGW. Two of these return via Rome, the other nonstop, all on 752s.

- Rome as a result of the above, gets a total of 7x per week all on 752s.

- Cairo retains 3x per week, via Khartoum on 73Ws. Outbound and inbound will be during the day, leaving ADD in the morning, returning the same night.

- Khartoum gets 4x per week, with 3 going on to Cairo as above, and one 73W flying each way from ADD overnight.

- Tel Aviv gets 5x per week on 73Ws, with a mix of daytime and night time flights.

- Nairobi goes 2x per day solid, on 73Ws. First flight in the morning (for connections from Europe), second flight leaving in mid afternoon and in the evening for midnight connections to Europe.

- Entebbe goes daily, 6x on 73Ws and 1x on 752. Leaving ADD in the morning, in the evening. All flights nonstop, meaning no more NBO-EBB-NBO

- Kilimanjaro goes daily, with a mix of 73Ws and 752s. Leaving ADD in the morning, in the evening. All flights nonstop.

- Dar Es Salaam goes daily as well, with a mix of 73Ws and 752s. Leaving ADD in the morning, in the evening. All flights make a stop at Kilimanjaro.

- Lilongwe goes daily as well, with a mix of 73Ws and 752s. Leaving ADD in the morning, returning in the evening. All flights are operated via Entebbe.

- Harare goes 3x per week, with a mix of 73Ws and 752s. Mostly leaving ADD in the morning, returning in the evening.

- Lusaka goes 3x per week with 73Ws as part of a triangle route with Harare. All leave ADD in the morning, returning in the evening.

- Johannesburg remains at 4x per week, with an upgrade to 763s from 73Ws. Flights will now leave in the morning, returning in the evening.

- Luanda goes 2x per week, on 763s. Flights will now leave in the morning, returning in the evening.

- Kinshasa goes 4x per week nonstop, on 763s. Flights will now leave in the morning, returning in the evening.

- Brazaville goes 4x per week, on 763s. Flights will now leave in the morning, returning in the evening. This is an extension to the Kinshasa flights.

- Kigali goes 5x per week nonstop, with a mix of 763s and 73Ws. Flights will now leave in the morning, returning in the evening.

- Bujumbura goes 5x per weekFlights will now leave in the morning, returning in the evening. This is an extension to the Kigali flights, and operates a triangle route.

- Bangkok maintains daily flights. However, flights will now leave ADD at 1:20AM, and arrive back to ADD at 6:30AM for morning connections to African cities. 763s will of course grace this route. Four of these flights continue on to Hong Kong, the rest to Guangzhou.

- Delhi retains 3x per week, but now leaves close to 1AM and returns to ADD early in the morning, around 7AM, for morning connections. Flights operated by 763s.

- Beijing retains 3x per week, and remains as the extension to Delhi.

- Bombay remains at 4x per week with a mix of 763s and 752s (from current 752s only). Leaves around same time as Beijing and Bangkok, and returns early in the morning for connections.

Ethiopian Airlines took delivery of its last B73W from Boeing on July 29, thus completing its first phase of fleet modernization programme which started with the delivery of a B763 in November 2003. The next phase is made up of a firm order of 10 B787s.

Ethiopian Airlines took delivery of its sixth B763 today, a brand new aircraft direct from Boeing.

The airline also operates a passenger fleet of four B752s, three B73Ws and a single B732.

Ethiopian Airlines is reportedly looking to lease two 772s to put on a thrice weekly service from Addis Ababa to New York via Accra, with intentions to start by October this year.

CEO Girma Wake told ATW “If no 777s are available on the market, we will lease two 747-400s. We need the additional capacity also on our flights to China.”

Additionally, plans are in the works to set up a hub at Lusaka Zambia, similar to that of Accra Ghana, to feed its services with one or two based 73Ws.

Ethiopian Airlines today exercised its options to purchase 5 additional B787s from Boeing. This follows the initial announcement for 5 aircraft of the same model back in February. The deal is worth $1.6 Billion at list prices. Delivery will begin in 2008, which is the same year the aircraft is expected to go into service. Ethiopian currently operates a passenger jet fleet of 5 B763s, 4 B752s, 2 B732s and a single B762. The latter of these aircraft is one of ET’s originally ordered 762s, which had been taken out of service last year, but is now reportedly being prepared to re-enter the fleet during the upcoming peak summer season. One B763, which is part of the last batch ordered a few years ago (along with the B73Ws), is to be delivered to ET during the month of June.

As posted earlier, Ethiopian Airlines had been in negotiations with the government of Ghana and Ghana International Airlines (Ghana Airways’ successor) for a stake in the new airlines. It appears that the parties have come to an agreement this week, with Ethiopian poised to take a 20% ownership in GIA through cash investment.

The Chief of Staff and Minister for Presidential Affairs said: “Ghana believes that Ethiopian Airlines can and will add tremendous strength to the start up of GIAL, as it is an experienced well-managed airline in Africa.”

J. Ralph Atkin, Chief Executive Officer of GIAL said, “GIAL is excited about reaching this agreement with Ethiopian, the most respected name in African aviation…Ethiopian’s eastern hub in Addis Ababa is a perfect complement to our planned western hub in Accra and makes them a natural fit as a partner for GIAL.”

Mr Girma Wake, CEO Ethiopian, said: “This partnership is a major milestone in the aviation history of Africa and will create an exemplary success model for cooperation among Africans in the spirit of Pan-Africanism.”

In order to meet increased demand during the summer season, Ethiopian Airlines will serve London Heathrow nonstop from Addis Ababa from July 16 until August 28, bypassing Rome. Flights to Rome that would normally continue on to LHR will terminate at that city.

London Heathrow is served 4x per week (Wednesday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday), while Rome Fiumicino is served 8x per week with 4 day time and 4 night time flights.

This increase in capacity to the London area complements Ethiopian’s startup of night time services into London Gatwick, effective July 8, 2x per week on Mondays and Fridays. Gatwick services will be nonstop on Fridays, while flights on Mondays make a stop at Rome (no 5th freedom between FCO and LGW).

ET718 ADD - LGW: 0205- 1000 (Mondays)
ET719 LGW- ADD : 1125 - 2240

ET758 ADD - LGW: 2310- 0540(Fridays)
ET769 LGW- ADD : 1530- 0125

Ethiopia and the United States have signed an open skies aviation agreement that allows full access to both markets for airlines from each country.

This is the first air services agreement between the United States and Ethiopia. It allows airlines to make commercial decisions with minimal government intervention. It provides for open routes, capacity, frequencies, designations, and pricing, as well as opportunities for cooperative marketing arrangements, including code sharing. It also includes all-cargo seventh freedom rights, allowing airlines to perform international cargo operations without connecting to their homeland.

Ethiopian Airlines currently serves Washington Dulles airport from Addis Ababa, with a tech stop at Rome FCO. The airline’s summer schedule will see an increase of frequency by one, for a total of four. All services are operated with a B763.