On June 30, Ethiopian Airlines will become the fourth airline to start operations in Botswana.
In an interview, Mr Elias Ketema, Ethiopian Airlines’ Gaborone area manager, said that branching out into Botswana would be a key development in the expansion of diamond trading and connectivity to businesses in the country. He added that, though the Botswana aviation market was small, it nevertheless provided prospects for the future.
Mr Ketema pointed out that Ethiopian Airlines’ three flights per week will be the only direct service connecting Gaborone to Addis Ababa which, besides being Africa’s diplomatic capital and the official home of United Nations after Washington DC and Geneva, is also the African Union home.
Ethiopian Airlines was established in 1945 and has come a long way since its humble beginning, with DC-3/C-47 aircraft. Operating at the forefront of technology, it has now become one of Ethiopia’s major industries and a veritable institution in Africa, operating a modern and environment-friendly fleet.
Mr Ketema said it commanded a lion’s share of the pan African network including the only daily east-west flight across the continent.
