Ethiopian Airlines is celebrating the 50th year of the launch of its service to the United Kingdom (UK) in April 1973

A statement by the media consultant to the airline in Nigeria, said that Ethiopian Airlines’ inaugural flight arrived in London-Heathrow on a Boeing 720-B, commencing with two flights a week.

The statement said that the flight was originally operated via Cairo, Rome and Frankfurt with first and economy classes.

Today, Ethiopian offers daily non-stop Airbus A350 aircraft flights from London Heathrow (Terminal 2) to Addis Ababa, and 4 weekly Boeing 787 Dreamliner flights from Manchester (Terminal 2) to Addis Ababa, carrying over 10,000 passengers monthly, with connections to over 60 destinations across Africa.

Commenting on the anniversary, Mr. Mesfin Tasew, the Group Managing Director, Ethiopian Airlines said that the UK had always been a strong and important market for the airline.

“Celebrating 50 years is a success story of our loyalty to serving the UK with both passenger and freighter flights. As we mark half a century since we first landed in the UK, we look forward to an ever-growing service to the country with more destinations and flights,” he added.

Henock Woubishet, Area Manager, UK and Ireland, Ethiopian Airline, described the anniversary as a big anniversary for the airline.

It said the celebration highlighted the carrier’s unwavering commitment to serving the UK, promising that the airline would be celebrating this milestone with a series of events including FAM trips, campaigns and promotions within the year.

“We want to take this opportunity to extend our gratitude to the travelling public and our partners in UK’s travel industry for supporting our journey over the decades,” he added.