Ethiopian Starts New Services to Bale Robe and Kombolcha

Press Release

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Ethiopian Airlines, the largest airline in Africa, is pleased to announce that it will start new services to Bale Robe, located in the South-Central part of the country and Kombolcha in North-Central Ethiopia effective 1 and 10 September 2014 respectively.

Bale Robe is famous for its notable landmark Sof Omar Cave, which is the longest cave in Ethiopia at 15.1 kilometers and the longest system of caves in Africa. Kombolcha is an industrial hub housing steel product and textile factories, which export goods to the rest of the world.

The new flights will be on a daily bases to Kombolcha, and four times a week to Bale Robe on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday using the Q400 aircraft. The addition of these new services will bring the number of Ethiopian domestic destinations to 20.

Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde Gebremariam said: “As the national flag carrier of Ethiopia, we have a national obligation to play a critical role in the country’s broad-based, decentralized and all-inclusive socio-economic development endeavor by availing critically essential air connectivity. Our new flights to Bale Robe, which has breathtaking attractions such as the Sof Omar Cave, and to Kombolcha, a burgeoning industrial hub, will be instrumental in enabling tourism flow and economic development.”

Ethiopian Regional Service currently operates scheduled flight services to 18 domestic stations using the new Bombardier Q-400 aircraft and B737. In line with Vision 2025 strategic roadmap, it aims to increase the number of domestic destinations to 26 by 2025.

About Ethiopian

Ethiopian Airlines (Ethiopian) is the fastest growing and most profitable airline in Africa. In 2014, IATA ranked Ethiopian as the largest airline in Africa in revenue and profit. In its operations in the past close to seven decades, Ethiopian has been a pioneer of African aviation as an aircraft technology leader providing the first jet service in the continent in 1962, and availing the first African B767 in 1984, the first African B777-200LR in 2010 and the first African and second only to Japan B787 Dreamliner in 2012.

Ethiopian commands the lion share of the pan-African passenger and cargo network operating the youngest and most modern fleet to more than 83 international destinations across five continents. Ethiopian fleet includes ultra-modern and environmentally friendly aircraft such as the Boeing 787, Boeing 777-300ER, Boeing 777-200LR, Boeing 777-200LR Freighter and Bombardier Q-400 with double cabin. In fact, Ethiopian is the first airline in Africa to own and operate these aircraft.

Ethiopian is currently implementing a 15-year strategic plan called Vision 2025 that will see it become the leading airline group in Africa with seven strategic business units: Ethiopian International Passenger Service; Ethiopian Regional Service; Ethiopian Cargo; Ethiopian MRO; Ethiopian Aviation Academy; Ethiopian In-flight Catering Service and Ethiopian Ground Service. Ethiopian is a multi-award winning, including SKYTRAX and Passenger Choice Awards in 2013 and has been registering an average growth of 25% per annum in the past seven years.

For more information about this press release, please contact:
Manager PR & Publications
Ethiopian Airlines
Tel: (251-1) 517-84-07

Follow us on:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ethiopianairlines.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/flyethiopian
YouTube: www.youtube.com/flyethiopian