Ethiopian to connect Africans to Asia
Ethiopian Airlines, one of the most formidable airlines in Africa, has launched a much anticipated service to Manila, the Philippines capital, from July 9 this year, in what the airline believes would help to contribute to the strengthening of trade, investment and tourism ties between Africa and the business-friendly states of Asia.
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“We are very happy to start this historic flight to the capital of Philippines. Manila will be our strategic point of access to the south-east Asian neighbouring countries by availing excellent connectivity options.
Our flights to Manila will also greatly contribute to the strengthening of trade, investment and tourism ties between the booming African continent and the highly developed, innovative and business-friendly states of Asia,” the Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian Airlines, Mr Tewolde Gebremariam, said.
The three times weekly flights to Manila will be operated with Ethiopian wide-body Boeing 767-300 aircraft with 24 seats in Cloud Nine and 211 seats in Economy class.
The new flight to Manila will bring the total number of Ethiopian’s international destinations to 88.
This will bring relief to travellers and traders in many African countries, including Ghana, as it marks another easy connection to Asia, which is fast deepening its trade and diplomatic relations with Africa.
“Manila, the economic and political capital of the Philippines, is home to extensive commerce and to some of the most historically and culturally significant landmarks in the country. Ethiopian will serve the growing traffic between Africa and Asia, and is perfectly timed to give the best possible connectivity options to passengers travelling between most points in Asia and Africa,” the airline said in a release.
It added that by the new route, passengers from Philippines’ neighbouring countries such as Brunei and Taiwan, would be able to enjoy smooth and seamless connection between all the major cities in Africa such as Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Lagos, Accra, Luanda and Johannesburg with minimum layovers.
