Durban - Durban is strengthening its tourism and business ties with Ethiopia as well as its global connectedness with the launch of direct flights between King Shaka International Airport and Addis Ababa Economic.
After almost 20 years, the first Ethiopian Airlines’ flight – a B787 Dreamliner – touched down at King Shaka International Airport on Wednesday.
After the flight arrived, Development and Tourism MEC Mike Mabuyakhulu said it was a “significant coming home” for the airline, which had a stint of direct flights to Durban between 1994 and 1998.
Ethiopian Airlines joins Turkish Airlines which recently launched direct flights to Istanbul and Qatar which has its first direct flight from Doha arriving today.
Air Ethiopia will fly from Durban to Addis Ababa three times a week on a Wednesday, Friday and Sunday with online ticket prices starting from about R4 134 for an economy class ticket.
Mabuyakhulu said the “momentous occasion” marked the government’s aggressive approach to building international route networks to and from Durban.
He said it was “absolutely vital” that the province had access to the Ethiopian market, which has a population of 90 million and was one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, alongside Indonesia, Nigeria and Mexico, with a 10.3 percent GDP over the past five years.
“It is important for us to have a strategic relationship that is mutually beneficial and one of the things we want to target is trade.”
Mabuyakhulu said the province had already made arrangements for tourism workshops to be held in both cities.
Ethiopian Airlines serves 91 international destinations across five continents using the latest technology aircraft such as the B777s and B787s Dreamliner with an average fleet age of five years.
Service
Ethiopian Airlines international services managing director, Esayas Waldemariam, said the airline would increase frequency to daily and double daily flights depending on demand. He said the countries had strong historical links as former president Nelson Mandela had trained there as a soldier and in 1960 had flown to Cairo on the carrier.
“This long-standing relationship between South Africa and Ethiopia and the entire continent will continue further. We are here to co-operate with you and this business relationship will continue for always because Durban is so beautiful – it attracts a lot of tourists, it has beaches, safari, dolphins and everything and the best part is the people,” he said.
The airline flies to 23 destinations on the continent.
King Shaka International Airport manager, Terence Delomoney, said Acsa had worked closely with provincial government and tourism authorities to boost international flights.
“We are seeing the face of King Shaka International Airport change. We had a dream that one day we would grow from a small to medium airport to one of the larger airports and I think we are realising that dream,” Delomoney said.
“By the end of December our weekly seat capacity will be increased by almost 70 percent.”
Daily News