from ADANE BIKILA in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
ADDIS ABABA, (CAJ News) – ETHIOPIAN Airlines has been recognised as Africa’s best-performing airline of the past ten years.
The recognition has been bestowed at the Decade of Airline Excellence Awards.
An independent panel of industry experts selected the winners.
Operating in a challenging region for airlines, the state-owned entity evolved over the decade from a national carrier to the first true pan-African airline, based on a strategy that leveraged its hub in Addis Ababa and strategic equity investments in smaller national African operators.
Lewis Harper, Managing Editor of Airline Business magazine, noted that under the leadership of Tewolde Gebremariam since 2011, Ethiopian’s Airlines’ core strategy had been underpinned by disciplined management and a productive relationship with its government owners.
Judges lavished the airline with praise.
“I think they are the outstanding airline in Africa by far,” a judge said, reflecting wider sentiment among the panel.
“I particularly like Ethiopian’s (Airways’) involvement in economic development in the country,” said another judge.
During the period, it has deployed a modern fleet and progressive business approaches, leading to some impressive financial returns.
It recorded an eight-fold increase in revenues and a six-fold rise in profitability over the decade.
“Their revenues have soared in what has been a particularly challenging market,” another judge remarked.
Ethiopian Airlines has at the end of the decade commanded the biggest share of the pan-African network, having overtaken Dubai as the biggest transfer hub for long-haul travel to Africa in 2018.
– CAJ News