Ethiopian Airlines today celebrated the 50th year of the launch of its service to the United Kingdom in April 1973.
Ethiopian Airlines’ inaugural flight arrived in London-Heathrow on a Boeing 720-B commencing with two flights a week, according to the information Ethiopian shared to the media. The flight was originally operated via Cairo, Rome and Frankfurt with First Class and Economy Class.
“Today, Ethiopian offers daily non-stop A350 Airbus flights from London Heathrow (Terminal 2) to Addis Ababa, and 4 weekly B787 Dreamliner flights from Manchester (Terminal 2) to Addis Ababa, carrying over 10,000 passengers monthly, with connections to over 60 destinations across Africa,” it said.
Commenting on the Anniversary, Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Mr. Mesfin Tasew said, “Positioned as the Heart of Europe, the UK has always been a strong and important market for Ethiopian Airlines. Celebrating 50 years is a success story of our loyalty to serving the UK with both passenger and freighter flights. As we mark half a century since we first landed in the UK, we look forward to an ever growing service to the country with more destinations and flights.”
Henock Woubishet, Area Manager UK and Ireland said, “This is a big anniversary for Ethiopian Airlines as it highlights our unwavering commitment to serving the UK. During the rest of the year, we will be celebrating this milestone with a series of events including FAM trips, campaigns and promotions. We want to take this opportunity to extend our gratitude to the travelling public and our partners in UK’s travel industry for supporting our journey over the decades.”
Currently, Ethiopian serves more than 150 domestic and international passenger and cargo destinations including 21 cities in Europe. Ethiopian Airlines (Ethiopian) is the fastest growing Airline in Africa. In its seventy-six plus years of operation, Ethiopian has become one of the continent’s leading carriers, unrivalled in efficiency and operational success.
In addition to its main hub in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, it is also pursuing its multi-hub strategy through a hub in Lomé, Togo with ASKY, in Lilongwe, Malawi with Malawi Airlines and in Lusaka, Zambia with Zambia Airways. Ethiopian commands the lion’s share of the Pan African passenger and cargo network operating the youngest and most modern fleet to more than 150 domestic and international passenger and cargo destinations across five continents. Ethiopian’s fleet consists of ultra-modern and environmentally friendly aircraft such as Boeing 737s, 777s, 787s, Airbus A350-900 and Bombardier Dash 8-400 double cabin with an average fleet age of seven years.