Ethiopian Airlines is the largest airline in Africa by various metrics, however competition for this claim is minimal. As of January 16 and subject to modification, the Star Alliance member intends to operate passenger flights to 138 locations from its Addis Ababa hub this year.
Recent foreign additions are Freetown (May 2024), Maun (June 2024), Warsaw (July 2024), Port Sudan (October 2024), Dhaka (November 2024), and Monrovia (November 2024).
Following the announcement of its fifth Indian route to Hyderabad, 19 out of its 138 passenger destinations would be located in Asia, excluding the Middle East.
Hyderabad receives Ethiopian flights.
The Star Alliance airline will commence operations on Hyderabad’s inaugural African route on June 16. The 2,368 nautical mile (4,386 km) service will operate three times weekly on the two-class, 160-seat Boeing 737 MAX 8.
This will establish Ethiopian’s fifth-longest non-stop narrowbody route, following Dhaka, Abidjan, Delhi, and Chennai.
Hyderabad will become the sixth Indian city, alongside Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, and Mumbai. Flight schedules are as follows, with all times indicated in local time:
- Addis Ababa to Hyderabad: ET682, 16:10-00:40+1 (6h block time)
- Hyderabad to Addis Ababa: ET683, 01:55-05:55 (6h 30m)
In contrast to certain Ethiopian routes, the timetable necessitates the immediate return of the operating aircraft.
Hyderabad to Africa
In the twelve months leading to October 2024, roughly 106,000 travelers (290 every day) journeyed between Hyderabad and Africa. Predictably, the point-to-point market in Addis Ababa was minuscule (2,000).
Nairobi was the largest market, with 15,000 passengers, and booking data indicates that Air India transported the most number of travelers through Delhi.
Cairo followed with 7,000, succeeded by Johannesburg with 6,000, then Dar es Salaam and Tel Aviv, each with 5,000. These five markets accounted for around 37% of Hyderabad’s overall African traffic.
Let us consider the timetable.
The 05:55 arrival in Addis Ababa aligns with the majority of Ethiopian Airlines’ inbound flights from Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and North America. This is because to its extensive connectivity with the majority of flights across Africa.
Observe the 16:10 departure time from Addis Ababa. This constitutes a segment of Ethiopia’s expanding third wave of flights, aimed at enhancing competitiveness, market share, and aircraft utilization, while mitigating congestion during peak times.
A disadvantage is that now, fewer routes are interconnected compared to Ethiopian’s peak operations, however this is expected to develop. Other Indian flights at this timeframe include Delhi at 15:55 and Chennai at 16:10.
In the case of Hyderabad, its two largest markets, Nairobi and Cairo, will not integrate with the third wave and, thus, will not operate on a reciprocal basis. Conversely, Dar es Salaam, Johannesburg, and Tel Aviv possess competitive durations.
Over 15 additional African cities, including Accra, Entebbe, and Mogadishu, will establish bidirectional connections, albeit they are lower in scale. The cumulative impact of integrating multiple marketplaces is essential for hubs.
Currently, five Indian roads
Ethiopian intends to operate up to six daily flights to India in June, although this is subject to modification:
Bengaluru: three weekly 737 MAX 8
- Chennai: four weekly 737 MAX 8
- Delhi: double daily 787-8/787-9
- Hyderabad: three weekly 737 MAX 8
- Mumbai: double daily 787-9
Where Ethiopia’s Indian market travels
Analysis of booking data for the year ending October 2024 indicates that the predominant number of passengers—620,000 (1,700 daily)—transferred to another flight in Addis Ababa. The predominant origins and destinations were as follows. They accommodated approximately 190,000 people, with the route from Mumbai to Johannesburg representing one of Africa’s largest unserved markets.