note
National airline of Ethiopia was established by proclamation of Emperor Haile Sellassie of Ethiopia with technical assistance from TWA which also held interest in the new airline. Operations commenced in April 1946 when its first of initial 5 Douglas DC-3s were delivered. Airlines traditional routes are Asmara, Yemen, Djibouti, Khartoum and Cairo. In 1955 first Convair CV-240 arrived and in 1958 Douglas DC-6s were delivered. This allowed Ethiopian to open service to Europe, namely Frankfurt via Athens. In January 1959 EAL became member of IATA. First jet was delivered in November 1962 when brand new Boeing 720 arrived from Seattle. This aircraft was put into service in January 1963 on route to Nairobi and new destination Madrid. Ethiopian used Douglas DC-6s at the time for its medium and long haul network. Beginning in 1979, Boeing 727s replaced Douglas DC-6s. First wide-body, a Boeing 767 entered service in May 1984 and this type gradually modernized Ethiopian's long-haul fleet of Boeing 720s and 707s. Ethiopian was the first African airline to receive Boeing 767 and 787. Ethiopian has over the years earned reputation as one of Africa's most reliable and safe airlines. It serves domestic network, Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa and long haul routes to Beijing, Bangkok, New Delhi, Bombay, Hong Kong, Washington DC, Rome, Frankfurt, Paris, London and Brussels. Ethiopian also provides world-class maintenance. Dethroned SAA as "Best African Airline" in 2014
founded - demised (age)
December 26 1945 - present (80years)
headquarters
Bole International Airport, Addis Ababa
web
base airports
related operators
current /stored fleet (154)
