Ethiopian Airlines
[43] The carrier, originally called Ethiopian Air Lines (EAL),[44] was founded on 21 December 1945,[45][46] with an initial investment of ETB 2,5 million,[47] divided in 25,000 shares that the government entirely held.[43][49][50] Minister of Works and Communications Fitawrari Tafasse Habte Mikael became EAL's first president and chairman, whereas H. H. Holloway —who was American— was appointed by TWA as general manager.Shortly afterwards, the airline negotiated for landing rights with Aden, Egypt, French Somaliland, Saudi Arabia and Sudan, and five Douglas C-47s were bought; these aircraft were flown to Addis Ababa in February 1946.[48] The new airline's maiden flight to Nairobi carried a shipment of East African currency equivalent to US$3.7 million in February 1946,[48] but the first revenue scheduled service was on 8 April 1946;[45][46] it travelled the Addis Ababa–Asmara–Cairo route using one of five Douglas C-47 Skytrains acquired from the US Government.[54] Also this year, a US$1,000,000 (equivalent to $12,663,900 in 2023) loan granted from the Ex-Im Bank enabled the carrier to incorporate Convair CV-240s, aimed at operating international routes.[54] In April 1952, the airline was appointed general sales agent for TWA in Kenya, Tanganyka, Uganda and Zanzibar,[58] and by May the same year the fleet consisted of two Convair-Liner 240s and nine Douglas DC-3s or their subtypes, operating a route network that was 11,000 km (7,000 mi) long.The incorporation of three Douglas DC-6Bs took place between May and July,[60] and EAL started a new link between Addis Ababa and Athens, via Cairo, using these recently delivered aircraft.During the year, two Boeing 720Bs were ordered and scheduled for delivery in December 1961, two more DC-6Bs entered the fleet, services to Nairobi were suspended once more and the airline's list of domestic destinations saw the incorporation of Bulchi, Dodollo, Lalibela and Masawa.Rome was served for the first time on 5 June 1964 on a weekly basis; the flight was routed via either Khartoum or Athens as part of a pool agreement with Alitalia.[79] On 1 June 1984, the first of these aircraft set a new distance record for a twinjet, flying 12,100 km (7,500 mi) non-stop from Washington, D.C. to Addis Ababa, on delivery to the company.Despite famine, unfavorable exchange rates, and general economic disarray, the airline managed to retain its reputation, particularly in the provision of maintenance and training.[124] Despite the violent overthrow of the communist government by the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front in 1991, the airline managed to post a profit for the fiscal year.Zelleke Demissie were fired after they signed a letter rebuking a government report, and a new general manager from outside the industry, Dr. Ahmed Kellow, was appointed.[125] The airline would regain operational independence when longtime company veteran Bisrat Nigatu was appointed to the top post in 1997, and remained fiscally sound, despite disruptions caused by the Eritrean-Ethiopian War.The company that received 4th place in the competition's second round has threatened to take legal action, accusing the airline of not giving due consideration to the proposed design.[144] In 2010, Ethiopian adopted Vision 2025, a 15-year development strategy, under which the airline anticipated increasing its fleet to 120, the number of destinations to 90, carrying more than 18 million passengers and 720,000 tonnes (790,000 short tons) of cargo, with 17,000 employees.The company has opened a container freight station, an 800 sqm facility at Modjo Dry Port, close to the capital, Addis Ababa.[182] The airline has also partnered with postal firm MailAmericas, a Latin American company, to develop cross-border e-commerce services within Africa and the Middle East using Addis Ababa as a hub.[185][186] In July 2018, Ethiopian Airlines signed an agreement with German ACM Aerospace to set up a facility that will manufacture and supply aircraft seat covers, safety belts, carpets, and other interior parts.[189][190] Ethiopian airlines had inaugurated a manufacturing facility in Addis Ababa in September 2022, to produce insulation blankets for Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in a joint venture with Italy's Geven-SkyTecno.[197] However, in May 2021, Ethiopian Mozambique Airlines ceased operations indefinitely citing as reason a drastic drop in domestic travel demand due to COVID-19 pandemic.[204] In August that year, Abuja, Accra, Douala, Dubai, Entebbe, Frankfurt, Johannesburg, Harare, Kilimanjaro, Lagos, Lomé, London, Luanda, Lusaka, Malabo, Maputo, Mombasa, Mumbai, Nairobi and Rome would be served on a rotational basis with the first Boeing 787 Dreamliner, and that upon delivery of the second aircraft of the type these would be assigned on fixed scheduled routes.[277] On routes operated with Boeing 777-200LR equipment passengers are provided with sleeper seats and on-demand audio and video services, with 85 channels on 15.4 inch IFE screens.[278] A variety of meals — ranging from light snacks to hot dishes — and amenities are provided to passengers flying in this class, depending upon the length of the flight.On 10 March 2019, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, a 4-month-old Boeing 737 MAX 8 crashed shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa en route to Nairobi, killing all 157 people on board[281] from more than 30 different nations.The third-deadliest accident occurred in 2010, when an aircraft crashed into the Mediterranean Sea shortly after it departed Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport, killing all 90 people on board.[283][284][285][286] In November and December 2020, Ethiopian Airlines was accused of banning or placing on leave those who are ethnic Tigrayans a minority, in relation to the Tigray War.[288] A December 2020 article in The New York Times claimed the airlines' CEO, Tewolde Gebremariam, who is of Tigrayan origin, was also banned from leaving Ethiopia after the Tigray War started.[32] However, CNN aviation analyst Mary Schiavo explained in a subsequent interview that it is not a violation of international law for commercial airlines to provide cargo services to governments in times of war.The NGO reported concerns that Ethiopia Airlines in particular was not operating in compliance with International Air Transportation Association (IATA) Live Animal Regulations.
Addis AbabaLiègeLilongweLusakaFrequent-flyer programAllianceStar AllianceSubsidiariesAir CongoAsky AirlinesMalawi AirlinesZambia AirwaysEthiopian Skylight HotelEthiopian GovernmentChairmanEmperorHaile Selassie IRevenueNet incomeProfitTotal assetsTotal equityAmharicromanizedflag carrierEthiopiacountry's governmentInternational Air Transport AssociationAfrican Airlines AssociationBole International AirportMalawiliberation of EthiopiaBBC NewsTranscontinental Air TransportWestern Air ExpressJohn H. Spencerspare partsFrench SomalilandSaudi ArabiaDouglas C-47sNairobiAsmaraDouglas C-47 SkytrainsUS GovernmentDjiboutiKhartoumJeddahSkytrainsSheikh OthmanMukallaPort SudanBombayMesirah IslandKhormaksar AirportDouglas DC-3Lalibela AirportEx-Im BankConvair CV-240sDhahranKarachiSharjahgeneral sales agentTanganykaUgandaZanzibarConvair-Liner 240sDouglas DC-3sAthensWadi HalfaSabenarocket-assisted take-offLockheed CorporationConstellationElectraDouglas DC-6Douglas DC-6BsBenghaziLockheed L-749YemeniHodeidaFrankfurtradio operatorsSwissairZürichBoeing 720BsBulchiDodolloLalibelaMasawaBoeing 707crashedConvair 240Allied StoresIsraelBoeingBoeing 720BSud SE-210 Caravellede Havilland D.H.106 Comet 4Hot and highAfrican airlineMonroviatakeoffSendafarflight attendantMizan TeferiregistrationLondon Heathrow AirportLideta AirfieldBoeing 720MadridAden AirwaysSudan AirwaysConakryAlitaliaEthiopia-United States Mapping MissionBoeing 707-320CContinental AirlinesDash 7sBoeing 727Dubai International AirportDHC-5 BuffaloBoeing 767Boeing 767-200ERtwinjetWashington, D.C.ATR 42s