“It is the fourth destination for us and first connecting service after the pandemic. We were able to overcome the challenges in the last three years due to Covid-19 and are now on the growth path.”
— Lemma Yadecha Gudeta, Chief Commercial Officer Ethiopian Airlines
Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s largest air carrier, has launched direct flights between Chennai and Addis Ababa. To be operated three times a week, the metro would be fourth destination for the airline to connect after New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, according to Ethiopian Airlines’ Chief Commercial Officer, Lemma Yadecha Gudeta, reported PTI. “It is the fourth destination for us and first connecting service after the pandemic. We were able to overcome the challenges in the last three years due to Covid-19 and are now on the growth path,” Gudeta said.
The launch of the service coincides with the 50th anniversary of uninterrupted flight service between Mumbai and Ethiopia, he said. Ethiopian Airlines, besides starting the new route to Chennai, plans to increase to double daily and ten weekly flights to the cities of Mumbai and New Delhi.
The carrier is also planning to connect Colombo, Karachi and Dhaka on the international routes
Gudeta said the company would operate Boeing 737s on the Chennai-Addis Ababa route and target people taking medical treatment from Africa to southern parts of the country, students and south Indians living in Africa.
Asked whether the airline was planning to connect other cities with Addis Ababa apart from Chennai, he said that Hyderabad, Ahmedabad were ‘under the radar’. Gudeta said that the carrier was also planning to connect Colombo, Karachi and Dhaka on the international routes.
Ethiopian Airlines Group’s CEO, Mesfin Tasew, said, “We have been connecting Asia and Africa for 55 years now facilitating trade between the two continents. The addition of Chennai as a fourth passenger destination in India is a testimony of our resilience and unwavering commitment to serve our customers in India. We will continue to serve India with enhanced frequency and more destinations in the future,” he said in a statement
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