Ethiopian Airlines revenues rise, says US travel ban causing confusion

Ethiopian Airlines' CE said Tuesday that a US order temporarily halting immigration from seven Muslim-majority states was creating confusion for passengers but was not having much impact overall on its operations. Tewolde Gebremariam also said the airline's revenue rose 10.3% to 54.5b birr ($2.43b) in the 2015/16 fiscal year, while passenger numbers climbed 18% to 7.6m. Net profit was up 70% at 6b birr. The state carrier is sub-Saharan Africa's biggest by revenue and has been rapidly expanding in its bid to become a global player through its increasingly crowded hub in Addis Ababa. The carrier wants to increase revenue to $10b by 2025, and expand its fleet to 140 aircraft from less than 90 now, with sights on Asia, Tewolde said. An Ethiopian official said last week that nine Yemenis were deported from America on an Ethiopian Airlines flight after President Donald Trump's travel ban that the White House says is vital for security but a US judge put on hold. Yemen, which lies a short distance from Ethiopia, and Somalia, which shares a land border, are among the seven nations on the list whose citizens are affected by the ban. "It is affecting air travel because people are nervous and confused. There is no clarity in the executive order," Tewolde said in an interview, adding it had led to a few cancellations and refunds by Ethiopian Airlines to passengers. But he added: "Operationally it has not created any disruption to us, either on our schedule or our customer service."<br/>