The Big & Small at Harare International Airport

Ethiopian Airlines 787 taxiing out while Malawian Airlines dash8 Q400 taxies in at Harare International Airport. Special thanks to Airway Magazine for the pic.

Ethiopian Airlines Resumes Seychelles Service from September 2014

Ethiopian Airlines from 28SEP14 is resuming Addis Ababa – Seychelles service, which sees the Star Alliance member operates 3 weekly flights, with Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

• ET879 ADD1010 – 1525SEZ 738 157
• ET878 SEZ1625 – 1940ADD 738 157

Source: airlineroute

Airlines aim to upgrade flights between China and Africa

Traveling to Africa used to be a nightmare for Yan Kai, the senior manager of a machinery company in Beijing in the past because it involved flight changes, lengthy stopovers and extensive time delays. Yan, however, says that things have improved considerably as burgeoning trade and investment ties between China and Africa have prompted airlines from both sides to establish more connections. "My first trip to Africa was in 1997 to Accra in Ghana," Yan says. "The trip took nearly 35 hours and had long, expensive stopovers in Amsterdam and Paris. Since 2000, the situation has improved considerably. Middle Eastern carriers such as Emirates Group and Qatar Airways Co QCSC now provide several travel and transit options to Africa."
 

Better ties between China and Africa will help stimulate bilateral trade as more secondary cities establish air links. Currently most of the flights to China operate from African cities such as Addis Ababa, Nairobi and Johannesburg. "There has been a steady growth in the number of Chinese people traveling to African countries and vice-versa," Yan says, adding that more connections with other African and Chinese cities are needed. "China is a major trading partner for many African nations. Coupled with the growing number of tourists and air traffic between the two sides, it will witness steady growth," says Elijah Chingosho, secretary-general of the African Airlines Association. The association, based in Ghana, is a trade grouping that fosters ties between Chinese and African carriers.
 

"Our estimates are that air traffic between Africa and Asia will grow by 8.1 percent every year until 2030," he says. International air traffic to and from Africa has been growing by about 6 percent every year over the last decade, while domestic air traffic in Africa grew by 12 percent annually, the African Airlines Association said in its 2013 annual report. According to Chingosho, the Africa-China aviation market will be one of the fastest intercontinental air travel growth markets in the long term. It is also the reason why several African carriers are looking to expand their presence in China, he says. "African carriers such as Air Algerie SpA, Air Mauritius Ltd, EgyptAir, Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways Ltd, TAAG Angola Airlines and South African Airways are all planning more flights to China," he says, adding that Chinese carriers will follow suit soon.
 

Chingosho says that Hainan Airlines Co Ltd's decision to start direct flights between Beijing and Dar es Salaam, capital of Tanzania, was a breakthrough for the aviation sector from both sides. The Chinese airline recently announced that it plans to start a service in August that will fly between Beijing, Mumbai and Nairobi three times a week. According to the African Airlines Association, many African airlines have become more active in the China-Africa aviation sector. Many may have added capacity and more flights to China this year based on the growing sales, it says.
 

Ethiopian Airlines was the first African carrier and the fourth in the world to fly to China. Since its first flight some 40 years ago in the 1970s, China has become a key destination for the African carrier. It now operates nonstop daily flights from Addis Ababa to Beijing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou and Hong Kong. It plans to start flights to Shanghai from next month. "We have grown considerably from one weekly flight to China more than 40 years ago to more than 28 weekly flights and provide seamless connections across Africa," says Tewolde Gebremariam, chief executive officer of Ethiopian Airlines Group. "Our network in China has been growing steadily along with the growth in trade, investment and tourism between China and Africa," he says. "The direct flights from Shanghai to Africa along with the existing connections will help promote increased mobility of people and goods between the two sides."

 

Shanghai will be Ethiopian's 80th international destination. With the new flight, Shanghai will be connected to 66 cities across Africa through Ethiopian's main hub in Addis Ababa. Gebremariam says Chinese destinations are important gateways for China-Africa business relations and the company plans to further improve its market position in China. Ethiopian is currently regarded as one of the fastest growing airlines in Africa and operates in 47 African and 79 international destinations across five continents.

 

Mbuvi Ngunze, chief operating officer of Kenya Airways, another fast-growing African carrier, says that while it is difficult to estimate the actual number of passengers traveling between China and Africa, there are clear indications that passengers are becoming more diverse. "Apart from business people and labour, there has been a steady increase in leisure travelers, a segment that holds immense potential," he says. "Better air linkages not only provide convenient connectivity and better access, but also allow people to have more choices," he says. "When you sell end-to-end products to clients, you also drive the cooperation through various departments including tourism, investment and trade," Ngunze says.

 

Leisure travel, especially tourism, has become a new trend in bilateral ties. Tourist flows to Kenya, South Africa, Mauritius and Seychelles, especially from China, have been clocking up steady annual growth. Ninety-seven million Chinese travelled abroad in 2013, 14 million more than in the year before, according to the China National Tourism Administration. The number is expected to exceed 100 million this year with more Chinese tourists heading to Africa. More than 50,000 Chinese tourists visited Kenya last year - and 42,000 visited Mauritius. Andre Viljoen, CEO of Air Mauritius, says that the growing numbers have prompted the carrier to add more flights to China this year.
 

According to the Mauritius-based newspaper L'Express, Air Mauritius plans to add an additional weekly flight to Beijing from Port Louis in July. Viljoen also said Air Mauritius would increase the seat capacity on its flights to China. The carrier expects overall tourist numbers of more than 146,000 this year, compared with 93,000 last year. Although African carriers are pushing ahead with expansion in China, they face several hurdles. The biggest challenge is finding suitable slots at airports. Most of the major airports in China are too crowded and hence unable to offer new slots to newcomers, says Mbuvi Ngunze, chief operating officer of Kenya Airways.
 

"We have realized that the real challenge is not about building more airports in China, although the existing ones are really busy, but more about how to solve the bottlenecks and make the slot allocation more efficient in Chinese airports," he says. There are also no suitable mechanisms to connect domestic flights efficiently with international ones and simplify the overall processing procedures, experts say. "We (African carriers) need to be careful about leveraging our regional hub status and do this in such a manner that it ensures adequate returns for Chinese investors," he says.

Chinese carriers, on the other hand, after making a strong start, seem to have slowed their pace in Africa. In December, a notice from the Civil Aviation Administration of China said that Hainan Airlines had submitted an application for expansion of operations in Africa. If the application is approved, it will mark the return of a major Chinese carrier to Africa after several years of absence. HNA Group, China's fourth-largest aviation group and the parent company of Hainan Airlines, recently indicated that it had shifted its focus from Europe and North America to emerging markets like Africa. Chen Feng, chairman of HNA Group, said recently that the company was focusing more on lesser-known routes, especially in Africa, and would make the necessary investment to grow the business in these areas.

 

In its application HNA said it sought permission to operate flights on the Beijing-Mumbai-Nairobi route. It used to have three routes to Africa - Beijing-Cairo, Beijing-Abu Dhabi-Khartoum and Beijing-Dubai-Luanda. The routes were stopped, many for security reasons. "Interaction and communication between China and Africa is growing rapidly and it is important for a Chinese airline to be a part of the African market," says Liu Jichun, deputy manger of the marketing department at HNA. "We expect the Beijing-Mumbai-Nairobi route to closely connect people in China, India and Kenya and also add to passenger flows."

 

Source: ecns

Ethiopian Airlines appoints new Vice-President Flight Operations

 

Ethiopian Airlines has appointed Captain Yohannes Hailemariam as Vice-President Flight Operations effective 3 March 2014. Captain Yohannes is a graduate of Ethiopian Pilot Training School and has over 30 years experience with the airline. He joined Ethiopian in 1984, has served in various capacities, including Director Flying and Training as well as Captain B777 and Check Airman before assuming his new position.

 

Captain Yohannes is replacing Captain Desta Zeru, who left the position of Vice-President for personal reasons but remains a line pilot with the airline. Captain Yohannes will continue the work of his predecessor and the successful implementation of the Ethiopian fast, profitable and successful growth strategic roadmap, Vision 2025.

 

Source aviator.aero

PIC: Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787-800 & South African Airways Boeing 737-800

 

 

Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787-800 Dreamliner preparing for departure while a South African Airways 737-800 is seen in the distance taxiing to the runway. Picture of the day thanks to Airway Magazine.

Source: Airway Magazine

Ethiopian Airlines co-pilot hijacks plane to seek Geneva asylum

 

A co-pilot on an Ethiopian Airlines flight bound for Rome hijacked the airliner early Monday morning and flew it to Geneva, Switzerland, looking for asylum. The man, an Ethiopian in his early 30s, was arrested when the plane landed at Geneva International Airport, police said. The 202 passengers and crew aboard the Boeing 767-300 were not harmed. It was a welcome outcome from the last time an Ethiopian Airlines was hijacked. In 1996, 125 people died after a hijacked Ethiopian Airlines crashed in the Indian Ocean after running out of fuel. In that case, the hijackers were seeking asylum in Australia.

Taking control

In Monday's incident, Flight 702 had taken off from the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa and was headed to Rome, the airline said. The co-pilot took control of the plane when the pilot went to the restroom, said Swiss police spokesman Jean-Philippe Brandt. The co-pilot, who was not named, closed the fortified door, police said. Instead of Rome, he then steered the plane toward Geneva. At one point, as the plane hovered over Geneva's airspace several times, he asked the control tower:

"And you have to give us lastly permission on board for asylum." "Yes I know," the tower responded. "Sorry, but we are still waiting for the response. We are trying our best to get you the response, sir."

 

The surrender

 

Eventually, the plane landed at Geneva International Airport. "I will be coming out via the window," the co-pilot told the control tower. He then escaped through the cockpit window using a rope, and surrendered to police, Brandt said. He was unarmed, authorities said. "His act has been motivated by the fact that he feels threatened in his county and wants to make an asylum claim in Switzerland," Swiss police spokesman Philippe Grangean said. The passengers were not threatened or put in danger, police said. Ethiopian Airlines, in a statement, would only say the plane was "forced to proceed" to the airport. During the incident, Geneva International Airport was shut down. It reopened later Monday morning. While rare, a pilot hijacking an airline is not unheard of. In 1998, an Air China captain, reportedly disgruntled with life in China, hijacked his passenger jet to Taiwan.

 

Source: CNN

Ethiopian Airlines chief warns that African carriers could be 'swallowed' by the Gulf

 

The CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Tewolde Gebremariam has warned that Gulf carriers could eat us for their lunch unless there is a concerted effort by African airlines to get increase market share from the fast-growing continent.

Speaking at the Aviation Club in London, Gebremariam said “We have tremendous competition coming from the Gulf carriers. Dubai is only three and half hours away from Addis, Abu Dhabi and Doha the same. They have been doing very well and now Africa is also in their centre of strategy.  “We see the centre of gravity moving from Europe to the Middle East and especially the Gulf.” He said that Europe’s failure to respond to the threat by the Gulf carriers had led to this change. “Europe has been the oldest and most successful for hub and spoke operations with airports like Heathrow, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Paris. For passengers travelling from south and north America to Europe, Africa and Middle East and Asia the only way was through Europe, but now that hub and spoke is moving to the Middle East and unfortunately and inadvertently European governments and politicians are helping them move the centre of gravity to the hubs in the Middle East by making it very difficult for airlines to operate in Europe.  

 

“Taxation is one factor, airport congestion is another,” Gebremariam said. “As a result airlines are finding it very difficult to fly to Europe. Heathrow is one of the most congested airports. Ethiopian wants to fly to Heathrow twice a day, but we are only able to fly six flights a week. We can’t even get a daily service. A third runway at Heathrow has been discussed for years yet Dubai was able to build Dubai World Central Airport with six runways in short order.

“Frankfurt Airport has put a policeman in the ATC tower to ensure no flight leaves after 10 or 11 o’clock at night, emission trading is another problem for all of us. Labour unions are very difficult for European carriers and they also have to compete with the Gulf carriers and small African carriers like us also. The tax regime in the Gulf is different – no tax at all - but knowing this again, there is no remedy for small carriers in Africa and also Europe, so inadvertently Europe is helping the Middle East carriers. Gebremariam said that the Gulf countries are treating aviation as a strategic national asset. “The contribution of aviation to social economic development is recognized and it is the pride of governments, but other governments and even in Africa are not recognizing this unfortunately. 

 

We are growing very fast but we have a serious challenge when considering that 80% of traffic between Africa and the rest of the world is controlled by non-African carriers – All of us - Kenya Airways, Ethiopian, South African, Egyptair, Air Morocco, TAG Angola, CAM Air, Rwandair, Arik Air and so on –put together - we only have 20% of the market. This is a big, big challenge if we don’t do something to at least maintain 50% of the market. Otherwise we are going to be swallowed and they are going to have us for their lunch.”

 

Source: Arabian Aerospace 

PICS: Harare International Airport

An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 767-300 pushing back for its return trip back to Addis Ababa via Lusaka at Harare International Airport. Ethiopian Airlines uses a mix of 787's and 767's on this route.

 

 

 

An Egyptair Boeing 737-800 parked up for the day awaiting its evening departure back to Cairo via Dar es Salaam. This route is operated four times a week departing Harare every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

 

Pictures courtesy of William Whaley at Airliners.net

RwandAir signs maintenance agreements for new aircraft

 

When on the 03rd of March RwandAir’s latest acquisition, a Bombardier Q400 dual class turboprop aircraft will join the fleet in Kigali, a new technical support agreement will just have come into effect, which the airline signed a few weeks ago with Ethiopian Airlines for the line maintenance of this aircraft type.

 

The technical support agreement was signed by RwandAir’s Chief Executive Officer Mr. John Mirenge and Ethiopian Airlines CEO Mr. Tewolde Gebremariam. Under the agreement Ethiopian will provide technical support service to RwandAir as of 01st of March for line maintenance up to A-Check level and component exchange support for the new Bombardier Q400 aircraft, an aircraft type also flown by Ethiopian Airlines.

 

Ethiopian’s MRO Services will base a technical team in Kigali to carry out the day to day maintenance on site while getting additional support from their main base in Addis Ababa should the need arise. John Mirenge said: ‘Rwandair recognizes the important role Ethiopian Airlines has played as a pioneer MRO provider in Africa over the years thus it was imperative that we explore the opportunity for MRO partnership. Agreements such as the momentous one signed here today further strengthen the bond between RwandAir and Ethiopian Airlines while continuing to show the world that the African aviation industry remains a vital catalyst for African economic growth and advancement’.

 

Ethiopian’s MRO has a facility certified by both the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the European Aviation Safety Agency and has MRO capabilities in Boeing and Bombardier aircraft. RwandAir has taken advantage of having the same MRO servicing their two Boeing 737-800NG’s, their two Boeing 737-700NG’s as well as their brand new Q-400 NextGen due to arrive on 03rd of March.

 

This new agreement builds on the already strong relationship RwandAir enjoys with Ethiopian Airlines through the ongoing pilot training program RwandAir pilots go though as well engineer training which has seen RwandAir engineering staff graduate from the Ethiopian Airlines training programme. RwandAir is, according to John Mirenge, also on course to add more destinations over and above Douala within 2014 and will continue to add more aircraft to reach their goal of a fleet of 17 by 2020.

 

Source: eturbonews

Ethiopian Airlines chief dismisses Stelios’s "Fastjet" African dream

Africa is not ready for airlines such as Fastjet, the brainchild of EasyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou, says the head of the continent’s leading carrier. Ethiopian Airlines chief executive Tewolde Gebremariam told the Aviation Club in London yesterday: “We have a different view of the low-cost model in Africa because cross-border traffic in Africa is fragmented.”

Gebremariam said: “Low-cost carriers are based on utilising aircraft 10 times a day, then unit costs come down. It is very difficult to do that in Africa. “Point to point will be challenging on the continent [because] 60% of market segments in Africa have less than 50 passengers per day.” Fastjet began operating as a low-cost carrier in November 2012, based in Tanzania and also serving South Africa and Zambia.

Co-founder Haji-Ioannou has plans to turn Fastjet into a pan-African carrier But Gebremariam said: “There are other constraints. One is traffic rights between countries. “The low-cost model could be perfect within a country’s borders, within Nigeria or South Africa for example. But the issue of cross-border traffic rights is a big bottleneck.”

He added: “The low-cost model should transform costs. But in Africa low-cost and full-service carriers pay the same not just for fuel but for [using] the airport. It is very difficult.” Gebremariam was also critical of European governments, especially the UK’s. He said: “We see aviation’s centre of gravity moving from Europe to the Gulf and European governments and politicians are helping the [Gulf carriers] by making it very difficult for airlines to operate in Europe. “Tax is one factor. Airport congestion is another. Ethiopian Airlines wants to fly to Heathrow twice a day but we can’t even go daily. We operate six flights a week. “A third runway has been discussed for years. Dubai just got on and built six runways.”

Source: TravelWeekly

PIC: Malawi Airlines De Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8 Arrives in Lilongwe

PICS: Departing Harare International Airport

 

Completed section of the Joshua Nkomo Expressway leading to Harare International Airport. Progress is moving at a snails pace. Once completed the dual carriage will cut down travel time into Harare CBD.

 

Driving past the Air Zimbabwe hanger as you enter into Harare International Airport. The section of the road is still under construction.

Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787-800 dreamliner begins boarding while an Egyptair Boeing 737-800 in Star Alliance colours is parked for the day waiting for its evening departure back to Cairo via Dar es Salaam.

A view of the terminal and control tower with beautiful skies above.

 

 

All three African Star Alliance carriers lined up at Harare International Airport, South African Airways, Egyptair and Ethiopian Airlines.  

Malawi Airlines Planned Routes as of January 2014

 

 

According to airlineroute.net, new start-up carrier Malawi Airlines plans to begin operation as of 01 January 2014. The airline plans to operate flights to Harare, Dar es Salaam, Johannesburg, Tete, Lusaka, Beira and Maputo, using Ethiopian Airlines’ Boeing 737-800 and Dash8-Q400 with “ET” flight numbers. Schedule is as follows and subject to change:

 

eff 01JAN14 Lilongwe – Blantyre – Harare 3 weekly:

• ET038 LLW1730 – 1815BLZ1900 – 2015HRE 738 135
• ET039 HRE2100 – 2215BLZ2300 – 2345LLW 738 135

eff 01JAN14 Lilongwe – Blantyre – Johannesburg 1 daily:

• ET020 LLW0800 – 0845BLZ0930 – 1145JNB 738 D
• ET021 JNB1245 – 1500BLZ2135 – 2220LLW 738 D

eff 01JAN14 Lilongwe – Blantyre – Tete 2 weekly:

• ET036 LLW0800 – 0850BLZ0935 – 1005TET 738 7
• ET052 LLW1500 – 1550BLZ1635 – 1705TET 738 3
• ET037 TET1050 – 1120BLZ1205 – 1255LLW 738 7
• ET053 TET1750 – 1820BLZ1905 – 1955LLW 738 3

eff 02JAN14 Lilongwe – Blantyre – Lusaka 4 weekly:

• ET032 LLW1730 – 1815BLZ1900 – 2010LUN 738 x135
• ET033 LUN2055 – 2205BLZ2250 – 2335LLW 738 x135

eff 02JAN14 Lilongwe – Dar es Salaam 3 weekly:

• ET042 LLW0800 – 1100DAR DH4 246
• ET043 DAR1145 – 1245LLW DH4 246

eff 03JAN14 Lilongwe – Blantyre – Maputo 3 weekly

• ET028 LLW1400 – 1450BLZ1535 – 1750MPM DH4 157

Inbound schedule not available

 eff 03JAN14 Lilongwe – Lusaka 3 weekly:

• ET046 LLW0900 – 1015LUN DH4 135
• ET047 LUN1115 – 1230LLW DH4 135

eff 04JAN14 Lilongwe – Blantyre – Beira 3 weekly:

• ET024 LLW1400 – 1450BLZ1535 – 1635BEW DH4 246
• ET025 BEW1720 – 1820BLZ1905 – 1950LLW DH4 246

Video: Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 767-300 Harare - Lusaka

Ethiopian Airlines Planned 787 Resumption

Ethiopian Airlines is set to resume Boeing 787 Dreamliner service on the Addis-Harare-Lusaka route starting May 16, 2013.  Boeing 787s have been grounded since regulators ordered all 50 planes out of the skies in mid-January after batteries on two of them overheated. US regulators approved a new battery design on Friday 19th April, clearing the way for installation.

Ethiopian Airlines 787 Schedule for African Routes:

• Addis Ababa – Lusaka – Harare – Addis Ababa 16MAY13, 4 weekly
• Addis Ababa – Harare – Lusaka – Addis Ababa 17MAY13, 3 weekly
• Addis Ababa – Johannesburg 16JUN13, 1 daily

Source: Airlineroute

Boeing 787 view into Harare (PILOTCAM)

Special thanks to: www.justplanes.com

Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner arriving at HRE

Ethiopian Airlines Extends Boeing 787 Service to Harare/Lusaka into Nov 2012

As per 12OCT12 GDS timetable and inventory display, Ethiopian Airlines is extending Boeing 787 operations on Addis Ababa – Harare – Lusaka – Addis Ababa service, into November 2012.
The 787 service operates daily from 28OCT12 to 30NOV12. It currently operates 6 times a week since 01OCT12.
Schedule:

ET873 ADD0930 – 1240HRE1340 – 1435LUN1530 – 2025ADD 788 D

Ethiopian Airlines 787-800 to Harare/Lusaka in October

According to the latest Ethiopian Airlines schedule, they will replace the Boeing 767-300ER with 787-800 Dreamliner service on the ADD-HRE-LUN-ADD route during the month of October. The 787-800 will operate Monday through Saturday while Sunday will be operated by 777-200LR.   

Pics: Ethiopian Airlines 787-800 Dreamliner at Harare International Airport