Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s leading carrier, announced plans to launch flights to the Australia continent in 2028, a move that would complete its presence across the world.
Australia is the only continent not currently served by the continent’s largest airline.
Mesfin Tasew, the group’s chief executive officer, told reporters on Tuesday in a briefing that the expansion hinges on securing additional long haul and wide body aircraft capable of operating one of the world’s longest commercial routes.
“We need to secure at least two large aircraft to operate to the continent,” he said. “It will take at least two years to receive aircraft from manufacturers,” Tasew said.
He added that the national carrier is scheduled to receive Boeing 737 Max aircraft over the next two years, wide-body jets required for ultra long haul flights are not expected until 2028.
“We will most likely start flying to Australia in 2028, either by renting or purchasing, as a larger batch of aircraft will arrive after that year,” Tasew added.
He cautioned that the launch timeline is contingent on aircraft delivery, with full operations dependent on securing the necessary wide-body jets.
The airline currently serves 145 cities across five continents. Tasew said it has shortlisted two Australian cities for the planned 2028 launch and will finalise the destination once the wide-body aircraft are in place, but he did not disclose the cities.
MG/as/APA