Ethiopian targets China

With the largest fleet in Africa, Ethiopian Airlines is looking east for further expansion, emphasising the point by putting Chinese crew members on flights to China from this month.

The Addis Ababa-based company, which already has flights to Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Guangzhou, says it is training Chinese crews because “90% of passengers flying to China don’t speak English”.

“They need crew who speak their language and understand their culture,” a spokesman explained.

Ethiopian Airlines’ training centre, the only one in Africa with a Boeing 787 simulator, has pilots, technicians and flight crew of 49 nationalities.

Ethiopia’s near-double-digit economic growth and huge infrastructure investment have made it one of Africa’s top-performing economies and a magnet for foreign investment.

The national carrier now boasts 77 aircraft after acquiring 32 new ones since 2010. With six million passengers in 2014, it is out to surpass other major African airlines such as EgyptAir and South African Airways, which have about seven million each. www.ethiopianairlines.com

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