Ethiopian recently celebrated 50 years of its service to the United Kingdom. The airline commenced UK operations twice weekly, in April 1973 on the Addis Ababa and London on a Boeing 720-B.
Today the airline flies to London Heathrow (LHR) and Manchester Airport.
The carrier offers daily non-stop Airbus A350 frights from Terminal 2 at LHR to Addis Ababa and four weekly Boeing 787 Dreamliner flights from Terminal 2 at MAN to Addis Ababa.
The two destinations are essential to the airline. Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Ato Mesfin Tasew said: "Positioned as the Heart of Europe, the UK has always been a strong and important market for Ethiopian Airlines. Celebrating 50 years is a success story of our loyalty to serving the UK with both passenger and freighter flights. As we mark half a century since we first landed in the UK, we look forward to an ever-growing service to the country with more destinations and flights."
Ethiopian Airlines serves more than 150 domestic and international destinations, including 21 cities in Europe. From its hub at Addis Ababa Bole International (ADD), it carries about 10,000 passengers to and from the UK each month.
Henock Woubishet, Area Manager, Ethiopian said: “"This is a big anniversary for Ethiopian Airlines as it highlights our unwavering commitment to serving the UK. During the rest of the year, we will be celebrating this milestone with a series of events including FAM trips, campaigns and promotions. We want to take this opportunity to extend our gratitude to the traveling public and our partners in UK’s travel industry for supporting our journey over the decades.