Ethiopian Air Seeks Africa Dominance With New Carriers, Jet Deal

Ethiopian Airlines Enterprise plans to establish half a dozen international offshoots before the end of the year as Africa’s biggest carrier steps up efforts to dominate markets across the continent. Ethiopian will take equity stakes in new operators in Zambia, Chad, Mozambique and Gambia while helping to manage existing carriers in Equatorial Guinea and the Democratic Republic of Congo, CEO Tewolde GebreMariam said. The company, which has turned Addis Ababa into Africa’s equivalent of the Persian Gulf hubs, linking almost 70 global cities with close to 60 across the continent, already owns stakes in Malawi Airlines in the south and Togo-based Asky Airlines in the west. The new initiatives are aimed at consolidating its lead over rivals Kenya Airways and state-owned South African Airways. Ethiopia’s change of prime minister last month after almost three years of unrest in the Oromia and Amhara regions won’t impact the carrier, Tewolde said, with the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front “definitely” continuing to back its expansionist strategy.<br/>