Ethiopian Airlines takes the crown as Africa’s largest airline. The national carrier of Ethiopia has been in existence for over 7 decades. If you are thinking of cruising on this airline on your next trip, you should first know that the airline is headquartered at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa. Ethiopian Airlines currently flies to more destinations in Africa than any other airline and also has several routes across the world. In December 2011, the airline joined the Star Alliance, the world’s largest airline network
History
Established on December 21, 1945, the company started its operation with five C-47 aircraft operating its debut flight to Cairo via Asmara on April 8, 1946.
Economy Class:
Economy Class passengers enjoy inflight entertainment, snacks, full course meals, selection of wines, non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages.
Watch my review of Ethiopian Airlines’ economy class, plus a short review of Beer Garden Hotel in Addis Abba during my layover below:
Business Class – Cloud 9
Cloud 9 is Ethiopian Airlines’ Business Class. Cloud 9 passengers enjoy exclusive lounge access, priority boarding and additional baggage.
Baggage Allowance
Economy class passengers get 2 pieces, 23kg each while Cloud-9 passengers enjoy 3pieces 23kg each or 2 pieces 32kg each. However, these weight limit may vary depending on your travel routes.
Visa On Arrival
Tourists who want to check out the sights and sounds of Ethiopia would be pleased to know that the country offers visa on arrival options at the Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa.
Weather
For some us living in tropical cities such as Accra, Addis Abba would be considered as having a colder climate. Hence, you should probably bring a jacket with you, especially if you plan on spending longer time in their capital city.
Time
When you touch down in Addis Ababa, forget about how you tell time in your country. Ethiopia uses a 12 hour clock system.
Destinations
Ethiopian Airlines flies to several destinations across the world. In Europe, Ethiopian airline flies to; Athens (Greece), Brussels (Belgium), Copenhagen (Denmark), Frankfurt (Germany), Gatwick (United Kingdom), Geneva (Switzerland), Istanbul (Turkey), Liège (Belgium), London (United Kingdom), Madrid (Spain), Manchester (United Kingdom), Marseille (France), Milan (Italy), Moscow (Russia), Oslo (Norway), Paris (France), Rome (Italy), Stockholm (Sweden), Vienna (Austria), Warsaw (Poland) and Zurich (Switzerland)
In America, Ethiopian Airlines flies to Atlanta (USA), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Chicago (USA), New York (USA), Newark (USA), Sao Paolo (Brazil), Toronto (Canada), Washington DC (USA).
Africa tops the list as the most destinations, Ethiopian Airlines flies to Accra (Ghana), Abidjan (Ivory Coast), Abuja (Nigeria), Antananarivo (Madagascar), Asmara (Eritrea), Bamako (Mali), Bangui (Central African Republic), Beira (Mozambique), Blantyre (Malawi), Bosaso (Somali), Brazzaville (Congo), Bujumbura (Burundi), Bulawayo (Zimbabwe), Cairo (Egypt), Cape town (South Africa), Conakry (Conakry), Cotonou (Benin), Dakar (Senegal), Dares Salam (Tanzania), Djibouti, Douala (Cameroon), Entebbe (Uganda), Enugu (Nigeria), Freetown (Sierra Leone), Gaborone (Botswana), Garowe (Puntland), Goma (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Harare (Zimbabwe), Hargeisa (Somaliland), Johannesburg (South Africa), Juba (South Sudan), Kano (Nigeria), Khartoum (Sudan), Kigali (Rwanda), Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Lagos (Nigeria), Libreville (Gabon), Lilongwe (Malawi), Lomé (Togo), Luanda (Angola), Lubumbashi (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Lusaka (Zambia), Mahé (Seychelles), Malabo (Equatorial Guinea), Maputo (Mozambique), Maun (Botswana), Mogadishu (Somalia), Mombasa (Kenya), Moroni (Comoros), Nairobi (Kenya), N’Djamena (Chad), Ndola (Zambia), Niamey (Niger), Nosy Be (Madagascar), Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), Pointe-Noire (Congo), Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe), Windhoek (Namibia), Yaoundé (Cameroon), Zanzibar and starting 15th October 2024, Port Sudan.
The Middle East & Asia are not left out. Amman (Jordan), Bahrain, Bangalore (India), Bangkok (Thailand), Beijing (China), Beirut (Lebanon), Chengdu (China), Chennai (India), Dammam (Saudi Arabia), Doha (Qatar), Dubai (United Arab Emirates), Guangzhou (China), Hongkong (China), Jakarta (Indonesia), Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Kuwait City, Manila (Philippines), Mumbai (India), Muscat (Oman), New Delhi (India), Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), Seoul (South Korea), Shanghai (China) and Tel Aviv (Israel).
Frequent Flyer Program:
Sheba Miles is Ethiopian Airline’s frequent flyers program. It provides passengers with perks such as upgrades to business class, award tickets, access to all Star Alliance member airline executive lounges, additional free baggage allowance and many other privileges for accumulated mileages and based on tier levels.
Other Hubs:
The main hub of Ethiopian Airlines is Addis Ababa, Bole International Airport. However, Lomé (Togo) is the second hub, Lilongwe (Malawi) is the third hub and Lusaka (Zambia) is the airline’s fourth hub.
University:
The airline also has its very own aviation university. The Ethiopian Aviation University (EAU) boast of over 65 years of experience in producing excellent aviation professionals.
Crash History
Ethiopian Airlines has a great safety record. The company’s most recent plane crash was recorded on 10 March 2019, when a Boeing 737 MAX 8 crashed shortly after takeoff en route from Addis Ababa to Nairobi. 157 people were on board, none of them survived. Prior to that, the airline recorded another tragic incident in January 2010. This involved a Boeing 737-800 that had just departed from Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport. The plane reportedly crashed into the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Lebanon. Leading all 90 people on board to their demise
Awards
The company has many prestigious titles under their belt. For seven years in a row, Ethiopian Airlines has been awarded with Best Airline in Africa, Best Economy Class in Africa for six years in row, Best Business Class in Africa also for six years in row and Best Economy Class Onboard Catering in Africa.
