By Recto Mercene
ETHIOPIAN Airlines is set to become the first African airline with direct link to the Philippines.
The flag carrier’s chief executive officer Tewolde Gebremariam said they are excited to start flights between Ethiopia and the Philippines.
“Our flights to Manila will 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,” Gebremariam said.
He added that they envision Manila as their strategic point of access to the rest of the Southeast Asian region.
The airline will offer thrice-weekly flights to Addis Ababa, scheduled on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays beginning this month. It is the first and only service of its kind in the Philippines.
Ethiopian flight from Manila connects to Brunei Darussalam and Taiwan, and African cities such as Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Lagos, Accra, Luanda and Johannesburg.
The airline has the youngest fleet in the African continent, with an aircraft averaging less than seven years old.
Gebremariam said they are focusing on the Philippines, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Ethiopia connection instead of the Brazil, Russia, India and China link.
Gebremariam said Ethiopia not only bridges the Philippine-African gap, but also makes them a hub for global travel.
Ethiopian Airlines brings South America closer and with less flight time by eliminating the need to go through stopovers in the United States.
“As a hub, we unlock alternate routes for reaching Europe and other countries in the world,” Gebremariam said.
Ethiopian Airlines flies to 91 destinations, operating B767-300 aircraft with 24 seats in Cloud Nine and 211 seats in Economy class.
The African connection makes it easy for Filipinos to step into a mythical land considered the birthplace of coffee and where the bones of “Lucy,” the earliest humanoid found in Hadar, Ethiopia can be found.
The country is also the supposed location of the Ark of the Covenant, the land of the fabled Queen of Sheba, and also home to ruins, relics and artifacts of Axum, site of the Axumite Empire.
Ethiopia is Africa’s oldest independent country and home to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, one of the oldest Christian churches in the world.
The landlocked country in the Horn of Africa is recognized for its world heritage sites, vibrant festivals, art and cultural traditions.
Image credits: Alysa Salen