Beginning humbly, Ethiopian Airlines (Ethiopian) has come along 77 years of successful journey becoming the fastest-growing airline brand globally and the leading Aviation Group in Africa. Of course, Ethiopian is ageing beautifully. Over the decades, the airline has established itself as the leader in all facets of the aviation business: technology leadership, network expansion and aviation mentoring.

Ethiopian started its operation with five C-47 aircraft back in 1946 and made its debut flight to Cairo via Asmara on April 8, 1946. Ever since, it has been growing in leaps and bounds, and continued to introduce cutting-edge aviation technology and systems. As an aviation technology leader, Ethiopian was a pioneer in ushering in new aviation technology into Africa including the first jet airplane as well as the first B767, B777-200LR, B787 Dreamliner, and Boeing B787-9. Ethiopian also led the way in operating Africa’s first Airbus A350 XWB. Currently, the airline has a fleet of more than 140 modern aircraft consisting of ultra-modern and environmentally friendly aircraft such as Boeing 737s, 777s, 787s, Airbus A350-900 and Bombardier Dash 8-400 double cabin with an average fleet age of seven years.

Living its motto of Bringing Africa Together and Beyond, Ethiopian has created Africa-wide and transcontinental air connectivity networks linking its main hub Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to the rest of the world. In addition to its main hub, it is also pursuing a multi-hub strategy through a hub in Lomé Togo with ASKY, in Lilongwe Malawi with Malawi Airlines and in Lusaka Zambia with Zambia Airways. The airline serves more than 130 international passenger and cargo destinations, including 62 African cities, with daily and multiple flights with a minimum layover. As a veteran carrier serving a vast intra-African network, Ethiopian flies to more destinations in the continent than any other airline.

Having achieved its strategic plan (Vision 2025) ahead of time, Ethiopian is currently implementing a 15-year strategic plan called Vision 2035 that will see it become one of the top 20 most competitive and leading aviation groups in the world by providing safe, secured, market driven and customer focused Passenger and Cargo Transport and Logistics, Aviation Training, Airport Management and Ground Services, MRO and Aerospace Manufacturing and Travel and Tourism Services.

Over the years, the multi-award-winning airline has received countless coveted accolades and recognitions for its excellence, including the recent five prestigious accolades at the SKYTRAX 2023 World Airline Awards, and ‘Best Overall in Africa Award’ at the 2023 APEX Passenger Choice Awards to mention but a few. In December 2011, Ethiopian took a giant leap forward in its successful journey by joining Star Alliance, the world’s largest global airline alliance. Building on its continuous success, Ethiopian has been registering more than threefold growth in the past 10 years.