Manchester Airport and the North of England has a new destination ,Ethiopian Airlines will be flying to Addis Ababa four times a week from today.
It is the region’s only direct links to sub Saharan destination, unlocking many other African destinations.
Ethiopian Airlines will use a state of the art B787 Dreamliner on the route with business and economy classes.
A celebration to mark the first flight today was attended by Jeremy Lefroy MP, the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Ethiopia as well as hundreds of guests from across the region.
The new service has been welcomed by Northern businesses and organisations who will benefit from reduced journey times, unlocking vital economic, trade and investment opportunities.
Jeremy Lefroy MP said: “Ethiopia is a key partner as we look to expand our trading relationship with the wider African continent. This new flight route from Ethiopian Airlines will allow UK companies to build strong ties with their Ethiopian counterparts, increasing the accessibility and affordability of doing business for businesses in both countries.
“The Department for International Trade has a range of support available to businesses looking to make the most of the new flight route. Support includes finance through our award-winning export credit agency, UK Export Finance, and market advise from our in-country HM Trade Commissioner, Emma Wade-Smith.”
The service to Addis Ababa will operate on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
The route opens up 60 seamless connections across Africa including South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Tanzania.
Tewolde Gebremariam, CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, said:
“We are elated to start our service to Manchester, our second destination in the UK next to London Heathrow which we have been serving since 1973. As the leading African carrier with the widest network in the continent, passengers from Manchester will enjoy convenient and seamless connectivity options to 60 African destinations operated with cutting-edge fleet like the B-787 and A350 which offer our passengers unparalleled comfort on-board our flights, along with our African flavored Ethiopian hospitality.
“The socio-economic implication of the new flight is immense. With vast investment and trade potentials between Africa and the UK, the upcoming flight holds the promise of boosting trade, investment and tourism with ample business opportunities for investors and business people from both regions.”
Ethiopian Airlines was founded in 1945 and the multi award-winning airline offers passengers an excellent on-board service including meals, beverage and inflight entertainment.
Business class passengers are served a variety of dishes including Ethiopian cuisine along with a selection of appetizers and beverages. A rich inflight entertainment which comprises of wide ranging audio and video contents as well as games is also available for passengers to enjoy while flying. In economy, passengers are treated to different meals and beverages along with inflight the entertainment package.
The route launch comes after a strong month of growth for the UK’s third largest Airport. A new service to Mumbai started as the airport welcomed more than 1.85m passengers through its three terminals in November – an increase of 7% year on year.
Return economy fares start from £499 with business class at £1,999.
For more information see: www.ethiopianairlines.com
