The Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority is set to launch an Inter-regional Air Transport Service aimed at improving connectivity across cities and regions of the East African country.
During a consultation with private airline operators, Endeshaw Yigezu, Advisor for Air Transport and International Affairs at the Authority, said the new initiative, set to begin in the Ethiopian calendar year starting September 2025, it will connect cities and regions through both scheduled and non-scheduled flights.
Planned routes include connections from Mizan Teferi to Jimma, Gambella, and Assosa, as well as a corridor linking Dire Dawa, Harar, and Bale Robe. Additional routes under consideration include Bahir Dar–Gondar–Lalibela, Mekelle–Axum, and Hawassa–Arba Minch–Jinka.
The Authority said the program will also prioritize tourist destinations, which it expects to stimulate job creation, foreign currency earnings, and the growth of tourism, trade, and investment.
In a related development, the ECAA confirmed that beginning September 2025 it will also start handling international flights from selected regional Airports.
It said discussions are underway with private airlines to open international routes from Bahir Dar, Mekelle, and Dire Dawa, which officials say are expected to support exports, investment, agriculture, and industrial development.
The plan to launch an inter-regional air transport service comes at a time when road-based inter-regional connectivity, especially in Oromia and Amhara, the two largest regions in Ethiopia, has become increasingly constrained.
MG/abj/APA