ETHIOPIA – Ethiopian Airlines Group, the largest airline in Africa, has finalized all preparations to launch a thrice-weekly flight to Houston, Texas as of December 16, 2019.
The new Houston flights will be operated via Ethiopian West African Hub in Lomé, Togo, and will facilitate the travel of the large African community in the Houston area as well as the oil and gas industry and other companies doing business in the region.
Ethiopian Airlines will use its Boeing 787-8 aircraft to service the new Addis-Lome-Houston route.
According to the schedule on the airline’s website, flights to Houston are expected to depart Addis Ababa on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 21:30. . After a stop in Lome the aircraft will arrive in Houston at 8:40 the next day.
Those leaving Houston for Addis Ababa via Lomë in Togo will depart on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays 11:00 and arrive in Addis Ababa the next day at 14:30.
Houston is the fourth most populous city in the United States and is home to the world’s largest concentration of healthcare and research institutions.
NASA’s Johnson Space Center, which houses the Mission Control Center is also located in Houston.
Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam, said that the The U.S. was among the airline’s most important markets owing to the presence of a large African community and growing investment, trade and tourism relations with Africa.
Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam revealed that the airlines new route structure is aimed at responding to the market demand and availing the best possible connectivity between the USA and over 60 African destinations.
The group’s CEO also noted that the additional route to Houston was in line with their Vision 2025 strategic roadmap of expanding the airline’s U.S. and African network.
The expansion of routes according to the CEO is aimed at facilitating people-to-people ties and the flow of investment, trade and tourism.”
Ethiopian Airlines is the national carrier for Ethiopia. It is the largest and most profitable airline in Africa, flying to over 100 international destinations.
The airline which also manages Bole International Airport, Ethiopia’s largest airport, flies to over 21 destinations in Africa.
Some of the most recent destinations launched by the airline include Marselle; France, Garowe; Somalia, and Beira; Mozambique.