Ethiopian, Singapore Airlines, Air Europa sign agreement to expand travel connectivity

Star Alliance members, Ethiopian Airlines and Singapore Airlines will expand their “codeshare” agreement from 1 June 2017, offering seamless connectivity options to customers travelling between Africa and Asia.

Ethiopian Airlines’ daily non-stop services to Singapore from Addis Ababa, due to be launched in June 2017, will be covered by the expanded codeshare agreement, the airline said in a statement issued Wednesday by Jedidah Promotions, its media consultants.

Under the expanded agreement, Ethiopian Airlines customers will be able to access multiple destinations in Australia, China, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Thailand and Vietnam leveraging on Singapore Airlines’ wide network.

In turn, Singapore Airlines customers will enjoy access to Ethiopian Airlines’ vast intra-African network, including in such countries as Botswana, Burkina Faso, Chad, Cote D’Ivoire, Kenya, Nigeria, Mozambique, The Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

“The two airlines will synergize their respective networks in Asia and Africa to offer customers the best connectivity options with one ticket and one single check-in at the first boarding airport. It will also play a critical role in enhancing investment, trade and tourism ties between a rising Africa, and a highly developed, innovative, and business-friendly Singapore,” said Girma Shiferaw, acting vice president, strategic planning and alliances, Ethiopian Airlines.

According to Tan Kai Ping, Singapore Airlines senior vice president, marketing planning, “we are delighted with our expanded codeshare operations with Ethiopian Airlines. This significant expansion of our important partnership is in line with our ongoing effort to continuously expand our network reach and to offer customers more travel options and convenience when travelling between Africa, Asia and Southwest Pacific.”

The airlines first began code sharing on each other’s flights to and from Dubai in 2011.

The expanded codeshare flights are subject to regulatory approvals and will be progressively made available for sale across various sales channels.

Ethiopian Airlines operates the youngest fleet on the African continent with an average aircraft age of less than five years, serving more than 90 international destinations across five continents with over 240 daily departures.

Singapore Airlines operates a modern passenger aircraft fleet of more than 100 aircraft. Together with wholly owned passenger airline subsidiaries SilkAir, Scoot and Tigerair, the SIA Group’s combined network covers more than 130 destinations around the world.

Ethiopian Airlines, has also signed a codeshare agreement with Air Europa, effective from April 11, 2017.

The new partnership is a free sale codeshare agreement, thereby allowing the partner airlines access to each other’s network by creating smooth connection at their respective hubs.

Imanol Pérez, deputy commercial director of Air Europa, expressed his satisfaction with the agreement reached with Ethiopian Airlines as it allows Air Europa to have presence on the African continent and offer its passengers a wider choice of travel destinations.

In addition, Air Europa also provides Ethiopian Airline´s passengers with excellent connectivity with other European, Spanish and American destinations to where Air Europa flies through its Madrid hub.

Air Europa operates in 51 destinations worldwide, of which 21 are domestic, 11 are in Europe and Tel Aviv, as well as 18 long haul destinations in North and South America and the Middle East.

The airline will also fly to Honduras this April and to Boston in June 2017. Read more here

Ethiopia sentences rebels accused of threatening massive dam

Addis Ababa - Ethiopia's government says 10 rebels who attacked vehicles headed to a massive dam project and killed nine people have been sentenced to prison.

Ethiopia has accused the rebels of being trained and equipped by neighboring Eritrea, which denies it. They were arrested in March.

The state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate reported on Thursday that the prison sentences ranged from nine years to life.

The government says the rebels' target was the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. The project has caused concern in Egypt, which says the dam will reduce its share of the Nile River.

The dam is estimated to be more than half complete.

Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a border war from 1998 to 2000 and have had border skirmishes since then. Each has accused the other of supporting armed rebel groups. Read more here

Ethiopian Airline signs codeshare agreement with Air Europa

Ethiopian Airline signs codeshare agreement with Air Europa

Accra, April 13, GNA - Africa’s largest airline group, Ethiopian Airlines, has signed a codeshare agreement with Air Europa, taking effect, from April 11, 2017. 

A statement issued in Accra by Mrs Hanna Atnafu, Manager, Corporate Communications, Ethiopian Airlines said the new partnership was a free sale codeshare agreement, thereby allowing the partner airlines access to each other’s network by creating smooth connection at their hubs.

The statement quoted Mr Busera Awel, Chief Commercial Officer Ethiopian Airlines, as saying: “We are pleased to optimise our collaboration with Air Europa through this instrumental code share agreement.”

He said as a customer focused airline, the company always strived to meet its customer’s ever growing demand, availing critical connectivity options.

“This strategic collaboration will enable our esteemed customer’s reach multiple destinations in Europe through one-point check-in at point of origin,” he added.

He said reciprocally, Ethiopian vast African network was an added advantage to customers of Air Europa; connecting 53 major cities in Africa with minimum layover at our Addis hub.

The statement also quoted Mr Imanol Pérez, Commercial Deputy Director of Air Europa as having expressed excitement and satisfaction for the agreement reached with Ethiopian Airlines.

“As it allows Air Europa to have presence in the African continent and offer its passengers a wider choice of travel destinations,” he said.

In addition, Air Europa also provides Ethiopian Airline´s passengers with excellent connectivity with other European, Spanish and American destinations where Air Europa flies through its Madrid hub.

Ethiopian Air currently serves more than 90 global destinations across five continents with more than 240 daily departures; operating the youngest and most modern fleet with an average fleet age of less than five years. 

Air Europa operates to 51 destinations all round the world of which 21 are domestic, 11 are Europe and Tel Aviv, 18 long haul destinations in North and South America and Middle East.  The Airline will fly to Honduras this month and in June to Boston. Read more here

Celebrating the Exodus with those still leaving Egypt

 
Some 1,600 members of the Ethiopian community participated in the largest seder ceremony in Israel, which took place in Yaffo. 

Rabbi of the community Rabbi Yehuda Sallah led the seder, with the help of some 80 volunteers from across Israel.

Gali and Haim Marciano from Elad in central Israel came with their 7 children to do the seder together with the immigrants. “It is an unusual experience. You really feel a type of exodus from Egypt,” Haim said. As someone who is used to our family seder, it was a really uplifting experience to celebrate the holiday with such a large group that went through, to a certain degree, and is still going through its own exodus from Egypt.”

“It was particularly exciting at those parts of the seder when that large group repeated word for word after Rabbi Sallah, and we all felt the meaning of the words ‘as one man with one heart.’ “Our table primarily consisted of women from one family and their children. You could feel very strongly how, despite the fact that the children have a much greater command of the language than the adults, everyone had a burning desire to take part in the seder. Our job as volunteers was basically to gently help where needed in order to allow the adults to fulfill the commandment of ‘And you shall tell your children,’ despite the language difficulties and the intergenerational gap that makes the matter a significant challenge for a good amount of the families,” Haim added.

During the evening, the volunteers held activities for the children which included a quiz and a costume reenactment of the exodus from Egypt.

“We are used to a certain seder during which we say everything and have our special customs,” Gali said. “We made a sort of compromise, but we got a lot more than we gave. We felt privileged to have participated and to be together with people who we are used to seeing as ‘the other’ but who, in reality, are our own flesh and blood. The scope of the activity, the organization, lodging for the volunteers, is just an exciting endeavor. I felt that the event not only honored the Ethiopian community, but the entire Nation of Israel.”
Rabbi Yehuda Sallah sounded emotional as he was asked to describe his feelings after the giant seder. “It was a special privilege to meet these quality people. I can only salute this quality group of people from all over Israel who decided to devote their seder to connection and immigrant absorption in the best sense. In the name of the Ethiopian community, I want to thank from the bottom of my heart those in whose merit this event was able to take place.” Read more here

Ethiopia to Loosen ECX Restrictions, Says Green Trader Trabocca

 
Ethiopian coffee authorities may be opening up the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange (ECX), allowing coffees to be traded outside the platform through which all coffees exported from Ethiopia have passed since 2008, according to a news release sent this morning by Amsterdam-based green coffee trading company Trabocca.
Longtime green coffee trader and Trabocca Founder Menno Simons said in the announcement that the company’s seven-member team in Addis Ababa has learned that the Ethiopian government will allow coffee to be sold outside the ECX, beginning April 30, on a trial basis.

The ECX was formed in 2008 in an attempt to reduce price volatility for coffee sellers and incentivize increased production through a more modern, centralized commodity-based trading system. The organization has recently launched multiple initiatives to attempt to create or improve traceability of coffees moving through the platform in order to drive up premium exports of Ethiopian coffees. Federal law has required all privately owned washing stations to sell their coffee through the ECX.

According to Trabocca, that will no longer be the case. “Exporters in possession of a valid export license will be allowed to sell directly to international buyers, under the condition that trucks of parchment coffee will be sold within three days of arriving at the processing warehouses in the capital,” the company said in today’s announcement. “If the coffee remains unsold after three days, it will be sold on the existing ECX platform, but with traceability intact. The new rules result in a system very similar to the one existing until 2008.”

Simons suggested the temporary rules change has the potential to be a major boon to Ethiopian coffee, particularly in terms of transparency related to individual coffee varieties and producer connections, but also in creating and maintaining long-term relationships between individual washing stations and green buyers.
“At Trabocca, we consider the new rules a great step forward for Ethiopia and the International value of Ethiopian coffees,” the company said. “Of all countries producing specialty coffee around the world, Ethiopia has by far the broadest range of flavor profiles. As the birthplace of Arabica coffee, Ethiopia offers thousands of unique, beautiful varietals. It is time for the value of Ethiopian coffee to be recognized and fully appreciated again by roasters and consumers around the world.” Read more here