Ethiopian Airlines clears final hurdle for Dublin-LAX
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s largest by fleet and operations, has finalized preparations to start flights to Dublin and Los Angeles (LAX) starting from June 2015 writes JOHN SAMBO.
“Our new flights connecting Addis Ababa, Dublin and Los Angeles will play a critical role in the expansion of trade and tourism investment between the fast-growing continent of Africa, the United States and Ireland,” Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde Gebremariam said in a statement last week.
He said, “In line with our Vision 2025 strategic roadmap, we are expanding our network and deploying the most technologically advanced aircraft as part of our commitment to our customers to provide them the best possible travel experience and connectivity options. “
Gebremariam said the route will be operated with the B787 Dreamliner and not long ago the airline took delivery of its tenth.
According to media reports in Dublin, the route was officially announced after Ethiopia negotiated with the government here for so-called “fifth freedom” rights in the nations’ bilateral aviation agreement.
Basically, such rights allow an airline to sell tickets for the portion of the flight between the stopover city and final destination of a one-stop route. At least one leg of the journey must begin or end in the carrier’s home country.
Dublin becomes the airline’s 11th European city and Los Angeles, its fourth point in the Americas. Ethiopian’s international network covers 85 destinations across five continents.
Gebremariam said, “Our new flights will play a critical role in the expansion of trade, tourism investment between the fast growing continent of Africa, and the United States and Ireland. As the these flights will be the first and only direct air route linking Africa with Ireland and the West Coat of the US, they will bring these two seemingly far away cities much closer to Africa and will facilitate mobility and connectivity for businesses and the large African Diaspora community living in the West Coast of the United States.”
Source: Busiweek.com
