Ethiopian Airlines is planning to add a route to Malta as a stopover hub to US. Ethiopian already has a wide network in the US and the airline claims that adding Malta would attract global investment to the European country and foreign direct investment in Ethiopia.
This decision comes in the wake of Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed Ali’s visit to Europe where he conducted meetings with Italian, Maltese, and French leaders.
Ethiopian operates flights between Africa and US to Chicago (ORD), New York (JFK), Washington (IAD), and Newark (EWR), with stopovers in Lomé, Togo and Dublin, Ireland. The airline plans to add a fifth service to Atlanta starting in May, so a stopover in Malta would be essential to achieve this.
Meanwhile, Ethiopian Airlines plans to add more routes to Singapore and Jeddah with plans to double its fleet over the next 12 years and expand its global network. The airline is also planning a non-stop route to Singapore in March 2023 to compete with Middle Eastern airlines. The airline is also increasing flights between Addis Ababa and Jeddah to twice daily starting February 2023.
Ethiopian Airlines fleet size is expected to grow from 141 to nearly 270 aircraft by 2035, operating more than 200 routes worldwide and carrying 65 million passengers annually.