The window on sub-Saharan Africa is “open” for Athens International Airport by Ethiopian Airlines, the national airline of Ethiopia, a country with nearly 129 million inhabitants. It is no coincidence that it is described as a “valuable partner” of “Eleftherios Venizelos” by Ms. Ioanna Papadopoulou, Director of Communications and Marketing of AIA, because the network from the airport to Africa is not big and “Ethiopia connects us to sub-Saharan Africa”.
oulou, during the presentation of Ethiopian Airlines yesterday, only 14% of AIA travelers to Addis Ababa have the Ethiopian capital as their destination. A further 12% have Johannesburg as their final destination, 11% Cape Town, 6% Kinshasa, 6% Zanzibar and 51% other destinations on the African continent.
Ethiopian Airlines
Ethiopian Airlines made a courageous start in a turbulent period, having started on December 19, 2019, shortly before the start of the pandemic, said Ms. Ioanna Papadopoulou. Despite these unfavorable conditions, its presence has continued to increase and from 842 passengers in 2019, it has reached 32,662 passengers in 2023, giving a vote of confidence to the Athens market.
As Ms. Papadopoulou pointed out, the African market as a whole, records an increase of 27% in 2023 compared to 2019, while in the first five months of 2024, it also records an increase of 15% per year. compared to the same period of 2019.
Visa issues
The situation would be even better if Ethiopians did not face serious problems obtaining visas for Greece. According to Mr. Michalis Flerianos, Managing Director Greece of Gold Star Aviation which represents the Ethiopian in Athens, our country’s services in Addis Ababa reject many visa applications because they think that travelers want to stay in our country for to work. He also spoke about the lack of personnel in services, while emphasizing that there is room for the development of tourism between Ethiopia and Greece.
However, Ethiopia may be a developing country, but in recent years it has made enormous progress and this is evident to anyone who visits the country’s capital, notes Mr. Vassilis Savarikas, Commercial Director of Gold Star Aviation .
Six flights per week
As mentioned by Tigist Seyoum – Area Manager of Ethiopian Airlines in Greece, during the same event, Ethiopian Airlines flights are a key tool for socio-economic ties between Ethiopia and Greece. Ethiopian Airlines currently offers four passenger flights between Athens and Addis Ababa, en route to Africa. From July 1, a new route from Addis Ababa to Warsaw via Athens begins, while in winter it plans to increase flights to six per week.
With more than 135 global destinations and 68 global cargo destinations across five continents, Ethiopian offers numerous travel options for business and leisure travelers. In Africa in particular, the company serves more than 60 destinations, thus strengthening the connectivity of the black continent with Europe via Athens. Ethiopian Airlines has a fleet of 147 aircraft with an average age of seven years. In addition to its passenger services, Ethiopian Airlines offers cargo services with particular attention to pharmaceuticals, perishables, live animals, valuables, hazardous and dangerous goods.
According to AIA demographic targets, Greek men and women traveling to sub-Saharan Africa are 43 years old, 42% travel for vacation and 41% for business, while Africans traveling to Greece average 41 years old and are around six trips per year and travel 65% for vacation and 20% for business. Greek and foreign travelers make trips with an average duration of 24 days.