Ethiopian Airline Promises Travellers Great Offer, Resumes Singapore Flights

Ethiopian Airline has announced the recommencement of flight service to Singapore from June 1, 2017. The airline, which now partners Singapore tourism authorities, said the decision to resume flights to the Far East country was in response to demands from its numerous travellers from Nigeria and other parts of the continent.

The General Manager of Ethiopian Airlines in Nigeria, Solomon Begashaw, said all arrangements had been concluded to ensure a -five weekly flights for a start, adding “all its customers stand to benefit hugely from the code-share agreement on which the flight is being initiated, so that travellers could be taken to farther destinations.”

According to Begashaw, in addition to the 53 destinations that the airline operates to, customers would have access to other destinations that Singapore Airlines serves, being a member of Star Alliance and code-share partner. In other words, in partnership with Singapore Airlines, Ethiopian would take travellers to different destinations in the Far East with flights that emanate from its operational hub in Addis Ababa.

“We have series of innovative products to offer our customers on these routes like we have done over the years. They now have unlimited access to destinations covered by these Star Alliance airlines”, he said.

Begashaw disclosed during the meeting that Ethiopian Airlines projected $10 billion revenue by 2025 is still realistic as everything is geared towards actualising that goal.

This is evidenced by the massive investment going on in the company, including expansion of airports and terminal facilities and the acquisition of more aircraft, as Bagashaw disclosed that the airline was ready to reopen its Singapore route because it has the equipment to operate the destination. “At that time, we were not operating then with the right equipment. Then our orders were on the line, some of the airplanes we planned to use had not arrived then. Now, everything is in order, opening Singapore direct to Addis and also, we have the right equipment, the right resource to restart this market”, he added. Also, Area Director, Middle East and Africa International Group Singapore Tourism Board, Mohamed Firhan Abdul Salam described Singapore as a magical country boasts exciting and alluring places.

Abdul Salam assured Nigerian travel agents and others, who expressed misgivings about the difficulty in obtaining Singapore visa that there have been positive efforts being made to the Singaporean government to relax the visa rules, adding that the tourism board was dialoguing with its Embassy to see how genuine travellers can easily procure visa to Singapore.