ISTANBUL FLIGHTS TO BECOME REALITY ON APRIL 01ST THIS YEAR
(Posted 19th March 2019)
Following two postponements of launch dates – inexplicably had the self professed Africa champion Turkey dragged their feet with landing permits and slot allocation – has Ethiopian Airlines finally received all relevant approvals and will launch flights between Addis Ababa and Istanbul on the 01st of April.
The flight to Istanbul will operate as per the schedule below:
| Flight Number | Frequency | Departure Airport | Departure time | Arrival Airport | Arrival Time | Sub fleet |
| ET 0720 | MON, WED, FRI | ADD | 23:05 | IST | 4:35 | ET 738 |
| ET 0721 | WED,FRI,SUN | IST | 1:10 | ADD | 6:40 | ET 738 |
Regarding the upcoming services, Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam, remarked, “It gives us great pleasure to launch flights to Istanbul, connecting Europe’s largest city to the over 60 African destinations we serve, through our hub Addis Ababa. Turkey being one of the fastest growing countries among the emerging economies, availability of seamless connectivity options will facilitate the channeling of investors and enhance business ties between the two regions. As we forge ahead on the path of growth and success as envisioned in Vision 2025, we will keep opening new routes to all corners of the world bringing Africa ever closer to the rest of the world.”
Istanbul marks Ethiopian’s 19th destination in Europe.
The airline is presently serving 119 international destinations across five continents with average fleet age of five years, using Airbus A350, B787 and B777 aircraft for its intercontinental flights.
The new Istanbul service will also bring the number of passenger flights the airline operates to European cities to 57 per week.
Meanwhile was it also confirmed that, come 17th of June, will Ethiopian Airlines add an extra flight on the Addis Ababa – Seoul – Tokyo route.
The additional Monday flight out of Addis Ababa will bring the number of services per week to five overall.
