On February 1, Ethiopian Airlines announced its plans to increase scheduled flights between Addis Ababa and Moscow to serve the increasing traffic to and from Russia.
After nearly eight months with no direct flights to Russia, the African airline resumed flights to Moscow in September. Ethiopian Airlines told Sputnik that from June 2023, the frequency of flights would increase from three to four a week, with trips on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
For years Ethiopian Airlines has been one of the few African airlines with direct flights to Moscow's Domodedovo International Airport. Flying to over 130 destinations worldwide, the new schedule will increase accessibility to Africa, Asia, and North and South America for passengers traveling out of Russia.
New route to the world's busiest airport
With most airlines almost fully recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, Ethiopian is among the many carriers expanding their route networks. Last month the African carrier announced plans to increase its presence in the USA. From May 2023, Ethiopian Airlines will add a route to Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport with up to four weekly flights.
With flights to Chicago (ORD), New York (JFK), Newark (EWR), and Washington (IAD), the new route to Atlanta will make this Ethiopian Airlines' fifth destination in the USA. Traffic between Atlanta and Addis Ababa can reach 15,000 passengers annually, all being indirect via other hubs. Adding a direct route between the two destinations could be highly profitable for the East African airline.
Atlanta is not a hub for the Star Alliance group, so Ethiopian Airlines is reportedly working on reaching a codeshare agreement with Delta Air Lines. The last time an African carrier flew between the continent and Atlanta was in 2006, when South African Airways operated flights between O.R Tambo and Hartfield-Jackson.
Check out more African aviation news here
Africa's biggest airline
In addition to flying to the world's busiest airport, the East African airline will soon launch its 21st destination in Europe. As of May 2023, Ethiopian Airlines will open a route to Denmark, with plans to operate five weekly flights. The new flight will increase the connectivity between the two regions and boost trade and tourism between Europe and Africa. Thomas Woldbye, the Copenhagen Airport CEO, said in a statement;
“It has for a long time been our desire to improve the connection between Copenhagen and Africa. Therefore, it is really good news, that Ethiopian Airlines, who for the last 5 years have been awarded as the best airline in Africa, now will start flying to Copenhagen. The airport in Addis Ababa have grown to become one of Africa’s most important HUB’s, with onward connections to more than 60 different cities in Africa, thus this new route will be an amazing gateway to the whole continent for Copenhagen.”
With a fleet of over 144 modern aircraft, Ethiopian Airlines is Africa's biggest airline. Although serving up to 131 destinations worldwide, the African carrier's most important routes are within the continent. It has an average of 64 international passenger flights departing Addis Ababa for other African cities daily.
Since commencing operations in 1945 with a weekly service to Cairo, the Airline has come a long way in serving passengers. Early on, it realized that a successful future depended on first developing a far-reaching pan-African route network, and that aim has been largely fulfilled.