Ethiopia: Super Jumbo Airbus A380 jets in African soil

The world’s biggest commercial aircraft super jumbo, Airbus A380, touched down at the Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa Bole International Airport Monday evening, making this Eastern African country the first African nation to welcome the most modern commercial airline in the world.

Ethiopian Airlines said in its statement that the double deck Airbus A380 with an average seat capacity of 555 landed smoothly at Bole International Airport on its global testing mission, thus making Ethiopia the first country in the continent to welcome the world’s biggest commercial aircraft. “The high altitude tests of the Airbus A380 is a testimony to the high standard of Ethiopian Airlines and the Addis Ababa’s Bole International Airport chosen for its altitude of 7,500 feet above sea level,” Ethiopian Airlines said. Bole now stands the historical airport in Africa to accommodate the biggest commercial airliner in the world, bringing hopes to the African governments to boost the continent’s air standards through modernization and security of their airports, aviation observers said. Using the most advanced technologies, the Airbus A380 is also designed to have 15 to 20 percent lower seat-mile costs, 10 percent more range, lower fuel burn and less emissions and noise, Ethiopian Airlines said in its highly circulated statement. Coming up as Africa’s fast growing airline, Ethiopian Airlines has been chosen 'African Airline of the Year 2006' by the African Aviation Journal. The airline, one of Africa's oldest airline since 1945, won the African Aviation Award for its clean financial performance, overall profitability, passenger growth, route network expansion, fleet modernization, in-flight services and overall customer care. Susan Mcdernoff, deputy assistant secretary for Aviation and International Affairs at the USA Department of Transport, handed over the award plaque to the airline’s chief executive officer, Ato Girma Wake. The awards ceremony was held in Cape Town, South Africa in mid-September this year in an occasion to mark the climax of the conference on African Aviation's 15th Annual Air Finance for Africa. In his remarks, Girma Wake said, "The award reconfirmed our outstanding achievements in all aspects of the African aviation industry and it prepares us to work more and continue to offer the best service to our customers." At the close of the fiscal year 2005/06, the airline’s total operating revenue grew by 21 percent. During the same budgetary year, revenue passenger per kilometer rose by 18 percent and freight ton per kilometer up by 13 percent. Passenger number in 2005/06 showed a 14 percent increase over the previous year. Ethiopian Airlines has steadily grown to become a reputable African airline with an unparalleled coverage of Africa to the Middle East, Asia, Europe and America. The Airlines operates the largest network on the African continent in passenger and cargo services. It covers 28 destinations in Africa via its Addis Ababa hub. In total, Ethiopian Airlines provides connections to 47 destinations throughout the world. In September 2008, Ethiopian Airlines will be the first African airline flying the 787 Dreamliner aircraft in the skies of Africa, Middle East and Europe. It now operates its international network with 21 jet aircraft. In expanding its route network within Africa and the rest of the world, Ethiopian Airlines this year launched new flights to Brussels (Belgium), Libreville (Gabon) and reintroduced services to Dakar (Senegal) hence bringing the total number of its destinations to 47 airports.
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