Beginning humbly, Ethiopian Airlines (Ethiopian) has come along 79 years of successful journey, mentoring. Ethiopian is now the leading Aviation Group in Africa.
Ever since, it has been growing in leaps and bounds and continued to introduce cutting-edge aviation technology and systems. Living its motto of Bringing Africa Together and Beyond, Ethiopian has created Africa-wide and transcontinental air connectivity networks linking its main hub, Addis Ababa to the rest of the world.
As a veteran carrier serving a vast intra-African network, Ethiopian flies to more destinations in the continent than any other airline. In December 2011, Ethiopian took a giant leap forward in its successful journey by joining Star Alliance, the world’s largest airline alliance.
Building on its continuous success, Ethiopian has achieved more than threefold growth in the past decade. The company continues to invest in modern aircraft as a sign of its commitment to leading Africa’s aviation industry.
Ethiopian Airlines started its operation with five C-47 aircraft operating its debut flight to Cairo via Asmara on April 8, 1946.
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As a technology leader, Ethiopian is a pioneer in ushering new aviation technology into Africa including the first jet airplane as well as the first B767, B777-200LR, B787 Dreamliner, and 787-9 in the continent, and Africa’s first Airbus Airplanes, the Airbus A350-900 XWB and the A350-1000 are on order.
The company has received numerous awards for its excellence including Skytrax’s Four-Star Airline ranking, 2025 APEX Passenger Choice Awards ‘Best Overall in Africa’, and ‘US President's Lifetime Achievement Award’ to mention but a few.
Ethiopian plans to further bolster its continuous growth to 2035.
Ethiopian flies to numerous destinations, including 65 African cities, with daily and multiple flights with a minimum layover in Addis.
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Ethiopian Airlines Hubs
- Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) - Ethiopian Main Hub
- Lomé (Togo) - Ethiopian Second Hub
- Lilongwe (Malawi) - Ethiopian Third Hub
- Lusaka (Zambia) - Ethiopian Fourth Hub
- Air Congo (DRC) - Ethiopian Fifth Hub
Ethiopian Aviation University (EAU) is the largest and most modern aviation studies center in Africa recognized as ICAO Regional Training Center of Excellence.
EAU provides its aviation professional trainings at its modern training classrooms, mockups, and simulators including BSc in Aviation Maintenance Engineering, BSc in Aviation Management & Operation, B.A in Tourism & Hospitality Management, MSc in Data Science and MBA in Aviation Management.
Full flight simulators of all fleets Ethiopian operates are available for pilot training.
Ethiopian Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) is the largest MRO service in Africa and serves Africa and the Middle East.
Established in 1957, Ethiopian MRO provides Line Maintenance services at stations where Ethiopian flies and extends the services to other operators.
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Ethiopian MRO offers world-class services to its customers and helps make Ethiopian one of the most dependable and safest airlines in the world.
Ethiopian Cargo and Logistics services is the largest cargo network operator in Africa. Through a revision of its vision 2025, Ethiopian Cargo and Logistics Services is planning to grow its cargo network to 90 destinations and operate 37 freighter aircrafts by 2035.
Ethiopian In-Flight catering facility has a capacity to produce 100,000 meals a day. The facilities are modern and fully equipped to deal with high demand.
The Rise of Ethiopian Airlines: Africa's Success Story in the Sky ✈️🌍
The Tragic Story of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961
Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 was a scheduled international flight serving the route Addis Ababa-Nairobi-Brazzaville-Lagos-Abidjan. On 23 November 1996, the aircraft serving the flight, a Boeing 767-200ER, was hijacked en route from Addis Ababa to Nairobi by three Ethiopians seeking asylum in Australia.
The plane crash-landed in the Indian Ocean near Grande Comore, Comoros Islands, due to fuel exhaustion. The aircraft involved was a Boeing 767-260ER, registered ET-AIZ, c/n 23916, that first flew on 17 September 1987. Powered by two Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7R4E engines, it was delivered new to Ethiopian Airlines on 22 October 1987.
Except for a short period between May 1991 and February 1992 when it was leased to Air Tanzania, the airplane spent its life in the Ethiopian Airlines fleet.
Captain Leul Abate (42), an experienced pilot with over 11,500 total flight hours (including 4,067 hours in the Boeing 757/767), was the pilot-in-command. The first officer on the flight was Yonas Mekuria (34).
Prior to the crash, Leul had experienced two previous hijackings. The first occurred 12 April 1992 on Flight ETH574, a Boeing 727-260. The second occurred on 17 March 1995, flying a Boeing 737-260.
The hijackers claimed that there were 11 of them when in fact there were only three. After assaulting and forcing first officer Yonas Mekuria into the cabin, they made an announcement.
Instead of flying east towards Australia, the captain followed the African coastline southward. The hijackers noticed that land was still visible and forced the pilot to steer east. Leul secretly headed for the Comoro Islands, which lie midway between Madagascar and the African mainland.
Out of options, Leul began to circle the area, hoping to land the plane at the Comoros' main airport. At 11:41 UTC, the right engine flamed out. Shortly after this, the left engine flamed out, forcing the 767 to glide.
Leul tried to make an emergency landing at Prince Said Ibrahim International Airport on Grande Comore, but a fight with the hijackers at the last minute caused him to lose his visual point of reference, leaving him unable to locate the airport.
While still fighting with the hijackers, he tried to ditch the aircraft in shallow waters 500 yards (460 m; 1,500 ft) off Le Galawa Beach Hotel, near Mitsamiouli at the northern end of Grande Comore island.
Seconds prior to contacting the water, the aircraft was banked left some ten degrees; the left engine and wingtip struck the water first. The engine acted as a scoop and struck a coral reef, slowing that side of the aircraft quickly and causing the Boeing 767 to suddenly tilt left. The rest of the aircraft then entered the water unevenly, causing it to cartwheel and break apart.
Island residents and tourists, including a group of scuba divers and some French and Indian doctors on vacation, came to the aid of crash survivors.
Of the 175 passengers and crew members, 125 were killed, including the three hijackers. Many of the passengers survived the initial crash, but they had disregarded, did not understand, or did not hear Leul's warning not to inflate their life jackets inside the aircraft, causing them to be pushed against the ceiling of the fuselage by the inflated life jackets when water flooded in.
Leul and Yonas both survived.
The incident has become a well-known hijacking because of the videotape. This was one of very few large airliner water landings, and it was the first water landing due to hijacking.
Both the captain and first officer of the flight received aviation awards, and both continued to fly for Ethiopian Airlines, although Leul considers Yonas, the first officer, the real hero.
Key Facts about Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961
| Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Date of Incident | November 23, 1996 |
| Aircraft Type | Boeing 767-260ER |
| Registration | ET-AIZ |
| Route | Addis Ababa-Nairobi-Brazzaville-Lagos-Abidjan |
| Cause | Hijacking and subsequent fuel exhaustion |
| Location | Indian Ocean near Grande Comore, Comoros Islands |
| Fatalities | 125 (including 3 hijackers) |
| Survivors | 50 |
