Ethiopian to launch daily nonstop flights to Beijing

Breaking travelnews, March 24, 2011
Effective May 2011, Ethiopian will introduce daily non–stop services from Addis Ababa to Beijing-China. The nonstop flight has been made possible with the introduction of the airlines brand new ultra-modern Boeing 777-200LRs.

The aircraft features the award-winning Boeing Signature Interior, fitted with 34 luxurious sleeper seats in Cloud Nine class, as well as 271 wide legroom seats in Economy class. It has over 80 entertainment channels and individual seat back screen with video-on-demand function that enables passengers to start and stop videos as desired.

The new nonstop flights will shave almost three hours off the current flight time on the route and will allow passengers to have convenient and direct access to China, linking Beijing with dozens of countries in Africa via Ethiopian’s hub at Addis Ababa. Mr. Gobena Mikael, Sr. Vice President Global Sales and Chief Commercial Officer of Ethiopian Airlines said, “With daily nonstop services to Beijing, 10 weekly services to Guangzhou, and with 4 and 5 weekly services to Hong Kong and Hangzhou respectively, Ethiopian will be able to offer more links between Africa and China than any other carrier.”

With a total of 26 weekly services to China, once again Ethiopian reaffirms its undisputed leading position in connecting Africa and China.

The new non-stop flights will see the relationship taken to the next level as the airline continues its commitment to this important country. The route supports the ever-increasing bond between China and Africa in terms of investment as well as tourist traffic.

Furthermore, Ethiopian Airlines has code share agreements with Air China, a Star Alliance member, allowing passengers to have wider choice of services between Asia and Africa. Under the agreement, the two carriers jointly provide services to/from Addis Ababa- Guangzhou and Addis Ababa-Beijing.

Besides the daily nonstop passenger services, Ethiopian provides cargo charter services to/from China for business people. In the growing social and economic tie between China and Africa, the role played by Ethiopian to bolster the partnership is immeasurable and of paramount importance for both sides.