Ethiopian
- Ethiopian DC3 taken in 1973. Photo by Christian Hanuise via Wikipedia
On December 13th, Ethiopian Airlines was welcomed into the Star Alliance. This is just one of quite a few major steps that the African airline has taken in recent years.
The airline started operations in 1946 and is the flag carrier of Ethiopia. It is currently owned 100% by the government and has grand plans for the next few years, which they call, “Vision 2025.” Their vision is not only to grow the airline, but to, “contribute positively to socio economic development of Ethiopia in particular and the countries it operates in general by undertaking its corporate social responsibilities and providing vital global air connectivity.”
In November 2010, the airline took delivery of their first Boeing 777 and they currently operate a fleet of five of the wide bodied aircraft. They aren’t stopping with just 777s, they are looking to the future and have orders for ten Boeing 787s and 12 Airbus A350s. Joining the Star Alliance is just one step in Ethiopian Airlines becoming more of a global player.
A far cry from the DC-3: Ethiopian Airlines first 787 Dreamliner on the Boeing Factory Floor in Sept 2011.
“It is another historical milestone for Ethiopian to join this most prestigious and longest serving Alliance in the world,”said Tewolde Gebremariam, CEO Ethiopian Airlines via a press release. “This day will remain colourfully marked in our history book. It is in line with our efforts to lay a strong foundation for the airline to achieve its vision 2025 objectives.”
If you like the airline, do not waste your time just buying a model. They are actually selling three Boeing 757-200ERs via their website right now. Talk about a great gift for the holidays!
Want a bit more? My friend and NYCAviation.com writer Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren recently took some flights on Ethiopian and reviewed their business class (cloud nine) and economy class products.
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