30 May 2013
28 May 2013
ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES CELEBRATES 40 YEARS OF SERVICE TO LONDON WITH THE UK TRAVEL TRADE AT KENSINGTON ROOF GARDENS
London - Ethiopian Airlines, the fastest growing airline in Africa, celebrated 40 years of uninterrupted service to London Heathrow and the launch of their new Boeing-787 Dreamliner last night with the UK travel trade at Kensington Roof Gardens.
Guests from the UK travel trade industry included Lotus Group, Exodus, Diversity Travel, Southall Travel, Crystal Travel and Benz Travel Limited, who were treated to traditional music and dance performances from Ethiopian Group and a barbecue buffet. During the event, Ethiopian Airlines also launched their new Boeing-787 Dreamliner on its London Heathrow route from 16th June 2013, offering six non-stop weekly flights to Addis Ababa.
Rahel Assefa, Regional Manager for UK and Ireland from Ethiopian Airlines spoke at the event and said, “The UK has always been a strategically important market for us and we are very excited to announce the launch of our Boeing-787 Dreamliner on the Heathrow route. As a result of this increase in airlift, we will now be in a position to offer the UK market around 20% more capacity, with our six weekly flights from London Heathrow to 43 destinations in Africa via our hub Addis Ababa.
“Our 787 is a 2 class product with a total of 246 economy and 24 sleeper business class seats offering passengers a high-quality travel experience. Currently we operate a fleet of 57 Aircraft serving 71 international and 17 domestic destinations which will shortly grow to 75 International points with the addition of Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Manila, Seoul and Ho Chi Minh City. This is an exciting time for us and we look forward to welcoming even more passengers from the UK on Ethiopian Airlines.”
Ethiopian Airlines is the first airline to resume the operation of the Boeing-787 Dreamliner, which is the world's first major airliner to use composite materials as the primary material in the construction of its airframe and designed to be 20% more fuel efficient. The aircraft offers passengers the ultimate on-board comfort with high ceiling, wider leg space, reduced engine noise, higher level of humidity, and most importantly, warm Ethiopian hospitality.
For more information on Ethiopian Airlines visit www.ethiopianairlines.com.
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Notes to Editors
Photo Caption 1 (from left to right): Nick Wickers (Commercial Manager Air for ebookers), Rahel Assefa (Regional Manager of UK and Ireland for Ethiopian Airlines) and John Farrugia (Air Contracts Manager for Explore Worldwide Ltd)
Photo Caption 2 (from left to right): Patrick Campbell (MC for the evening) presents a 40th Anniversary cake to Rahel Assefa (Regional Manager of UK and Ireland for Ethiopian Airlines), His Excellency Berhanu Kebede (Ethiopia Ambassador to UK) and a select group of cabin crew from Ethiopian Airlines.
Photo Caption 3 (from left to right): Chris Ballam (Air Product Manager for TravelPack), Mario Mansilla (Sales Administration Manager of UK and Ireland for Ethiopian Airlines) and Toni Svensson (Airlines Relations Manager for STA Travel).
About Ethiopian Airlines
Ethiopian Airlines, the fastest growing airline in Africa, made its maiden international flight to Cairo in 1946 and now the airline provides dependable services to 72 international destinations spanning four continents.
Ethiopian Airlines is proud to be a Star Alliance member. The Star Alliance network is the leading global airline network offering customers convenient worldwide reach and a smoother travel experience. The Star Alliance network offers more than 21,555 daily flights to 1,356 airports in 193 countries.
Ethiopian Airlines is a multi-award winning company as a result of its commitment and contributions towards the development and growth of the African aviation industry and in recognition of its distinguished long-haul operations enhanced by the introduction of new routes and products. Recently, Ethiopian Airlines won the "Airline Reliability Performance Award" from the Bombardier Aerospace; "African Airline of the Year Award" from Air Transport Quarterly Magazine; "Transformation Award 2012" from Planet Africa Network and "International Diamond Prize for Excellence in Quality" from the European Society for Quality Research (ESQR). Captain Desta Zeru, Vice-President of Flight Operations, has also won the "Africa Legend of Travel" award from African Travel Quarterly (ATQ) Magazine; and Ethiopian Airlines CEO, Tewolde Gebremariam, won "African CEO of the year" from the African CEO Forum as well as the "African Business Leader of the Year Award” from the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA).
Media Contact
Judy McCluskey / Sarah Salord / Jessica Meins
McCluskey International
020 8747 2170
