Ethiopian Airlines to mark 50th Anniversary of Abebe Bikila Victory with direct flight to Tokyo

Abebe Bikila (1932-1973) won a gold medal in the marathon in both the 1960 Rome Olympics and the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

Tewolde Gebremariam, CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, made the announcement while in Japan on June 10.

A direct flight between the African continent and Japan had previously been handled by Egyptair, but its routes connecting Cairo with Narita and Kansai airports were discontinued last year due to political turmoil in Egypt.

The new flight by Ethiopia‘s flag carrier will likely be the only direct route connecting Africa and Japan in the foreseeable future.

Boeing 787 Dreamliners will fly three round trips a week between the two nations.

Source: The Asahi Shinbun