THE Western Cape provincial government’s
drive to attract more direct flights to the province has received a
major boost after Ethiopian Airlines, the largest airline in Africa,
touched down at Cape Town International Airport for its inaugural flight
to the city on Tuesday night.
The Ethiopia-Cape Town schedule will operate six times a week. With this new route, the airline will also operate a direct flight to Gaborone, the capital of Botswana, three times a week.
Ethiopian Airlines is one of the fastest-growing and most profitable airlines in Africa. Last year, the International Air Transport Association, a trade association representing the airline industry worldwide, ranked Ethiopian Airlines as the largest airline in Africa in terms of revenue and profit.
Western Cape economic opportunities MEC Alan Winde said on Wednesday that the decision by Ethiopian Airlines to introduce direct flights to Cape Town showed the airline had confidence in the city as a world-class business and leisure destination.
"Improved air access is linked to increased jobs and growth in our tourism and conferencing industry. That is why we have developed an air access strategy which outlines the benefits of further direct routes between Cape Town and strategic destinations. New routes into Africa are a focus of our air access strategy," Mr Winde said.
The Western Cape’s department of economic development and tourism has developed an air access strategy in partnership with Wesgro, the City of Cape Town and Airports Company SA. Wesgro is the province’s official trade and investment promotion agency. The goal of the strategy is to create direct links between the Western Cape and other parts of the world, which is expected to have a positive effect on tourist arrivals.
Wesgro CEO Tim Harris welcomed the new route. He said the Cape Town city region had the potential to become an economic hub for Africa, but this required building much better connectivity with the rest of the continent.
"The introduction of a new route like this new one to Ethiopia will open up many trade and investment opportunities for Western Cape companies in one of the fastest-growing economies in Africa," Mr Harris said.
Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Tewolde Gebremariam said: "As a Pan-African airline working to bring Africa together and closer to the world, we are very pleased to spread our wings to Cape Town and Gaborone. Our new flights will give our customers more and convenient connectivity options when travelling within, to and from the continent. We will continue to expand our reach in our home market in Africa with a view to support the continent’s socioeconomic integration and development."
Source: bdlive.co.za
The Ethiopia-Cape Town schedule will operate six times a week. With this new route, the airline will also operate a direct flight to Gaborone, the capital of Botswana, three times a week.
Ethiopian Airlines is one of the fastest-growing and most profitable airlines in Africa. Last year, the International Air Transport Association, a trade association representing the airline industry worldwide, ranked Ethiopian Airlines as the largest airline in Africa in terms of revenue and profit.
Western Cape economic opportunities MEC Alan Winde said on Wednesday that the decision by Ethiopian Airlines to introduce direct flights to Cape Town showed the airline had confidence in the city as a world-class business and leisure destination.
"Improved air access is linked to increased jobs and growth in our tourism and conferencing industry. That is why we have developed an air access strategy which outlines the benefits of further direct routes between Cape Town and strategic destinations. New routes into Africa are a focus of our air access strategy," Mr Winde said.
The Western Cape’s department of economic development and tourism has developed an air access strategy in partnership with Wesgro, the City of Cape Town and Airports Company SA. Wesgro is the province’s official trade and investment promotion agency. The goal of the strategy is to create direct links between the Western Cape and other parts of the world, which is expected to have a positive effect on tourist arrivals.
Wesgro CEO Tim Harris welcomed the new route. He said the Cape Town city region had the potential to become an economic hub for Africa, but this required building much better connectivity with the rest of the continent.
"The introduction of a new route like this new one to Ethiopia will open up many trade and investment opportunities for Western Cape companies in one of the fastest-growing economies in Africa," Mr Harris said.
Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Tewolde Gebremariam said: "As a Pan-African airline working to bring Africa together and closer to the world, we are very pleased to spread our wings to Cape Town and Gaborone. Our new flights will give our customers more and convenient connectivity options when travelling within, to and from the continent. We will continue to expand our reach in our home market in Africa with a view to support the continent’s socioeconomic integration and development."
Source: bdlive.co.za
No comments:
Post a Comment