Ethiopia
Section
Tourism
Minister Profile
Ethiopia's
Midroc Technology
Group
AFRICA'S
AIR HIGHWAYS
First in a
series of Airline Profiles
Ethiopian
Airlines
with its order for up to 10 Boeing 787
Dreamliner passenger planes, will be the
first Africa-based operator using this
super-efficient, all-new jetliner. "You just
can't ignore how far Boeing has advanced the
technology of commercial aviation with the
787 Dreamliner," said Ato Girma Wake,
Ethiopian Airlines CEO. "The 787 represents
the future - one in which Ethiopian Airlines
will play a major part,and we view this
airplane to be a cutting-edge solution to
bolster our passenger service, improve our
efficiencies and add to the airline's bottom
line."Boeing Commercial Airplanes President
and CEO Alan Mulally shared his enthusiasm,
saying, "We are proud of Ethiopian Airlines'
pioneering spirit and we share its goal of
maintaining innovative leadership in
commercial aviation."
Partners with
Boeing
The Boeing
Aircraft Company's ongoing partnership with
Ethiopian Airlines dates back over 50 years.
Ethiopian Airlines has long played a leading
role in the development of commercial
aviation on the African continent. Now, as a
leading member of the 787 launch customer
team, Ethiopian Airlines becomes a key
partner in developing the 787 family of
airplanes. Among its many firsts, the carrier
initiated jet service when it added a Boeing
720B in 1963. Today, it operates an
all-Boeing jet fleet of 737 and 767
airplanes. By ordering the versatile and
technologically ground-breaking 787,
Ethiopian Airlines sets the stage for
continued growth and realization of its motto
of linking Africa to the world, while
benefiting from the airplane's superior
efficiency and unmatched comfort.
Winning Friends. Why
First Impressions Count
by
Jerry W. Bird
We all
have our heroes - and here is one of mine.
How many of our under 30 generation have read
his books, or even know about Dale Carnegie,
I could never guess. Yet this one man's
simple concepts have changed millions of
lives dramatically and positively for
generations, not just in North America, but
around the world. In my opinion everyone
should read at least one of his inspiring
books. This author and teacher leads by
example. Ethiopian Airlines management has
the same action-based thinking and 'hands on'
approach Carnegie writes about in his best
seller, "How to Win Friends and Influence
People." Speaking of winning friends, the way
our group of 11 journalists was looked after
during a Tourism Ministry sponsored flight
from the USA to Addis Ababa and around the
country, left its mark indelibly on each of
us.
A Flight
into History
Following the Historic Route Tour to
Lalibela, Gondar and Bahir Dar, I worked at
the airline's head office for several days,
laying the foundation for future issues of
Africa Travel Magazine. During our
international and regional flights, our team
experienced the "Spirit of Ethiopian
Airlines" first hand. Bringing Africa
TogetherI won't pretend to be a complete
stranger to the airline; a friend at ATA,
Hagos Legesse of New York, presented me with
a deluxe edition of "Bringing Africa
Together," a book that charts the rise of
Ethiopian Airlines to world status, through
decades of trials and tribulations, peace and
war. The addition of direct flights to Addis
Ababa from Washington, DC Dulles
International Airport is an important feather
in Ethiopian Airline's cap.
Pride in
Service
If all of
this tender loving care I spoke of wasn't
enough - on our return flight I was presented
with a beautiful silk necktie compliments of
the airline. I've worn it with pride on many
occasions ever since. This example of
"wearable art" bears a replica of the classic
stained glass window which adorns the United
Nations Conference Center in Addis Ababa. The
design is by the Tekle, often called the
Artist Laureate of Ethiopia. Having pioneered
a mighty "Air Bridge to Africa," Ethiopian
Airlines now flies to more African
destinations than any carrier in the world.
See the above map above for a quick idea of
its routes to and from the continents. From
what myself and colleagues have experienced
in my first return flight, I am sure that
Ethiopian Airlines will continue to influence
people and win friends for generations to
come. Read more about Ethiopian Airlines in
our coming edition and on our web
Site.
At the
Beginning
Ethiopian
Airlines was founded in 1945 by Emperor Haile
Selassie and commenced operations in 1946,
with a weekly service between Addis Ababa and
Cairo. It started long-haul services to
Frankfurt, Germany in 1958 and inaugurated
its first jet service in 1963 from Addis
Ababa to Nairobi. In 1965, the airline
changed from a corporation to a share holding
company. It is wholly owned by the government
of Ethiopia and has over 5,000
employees.
Competent
Staff
By its
25th anniversary in 1971, Ethiopian Airlines
was managed and fully staffed by Ethiopian
personnel and started transatlantic services
in 1998. It is one of the few profitable
African airlines and was featured by The
Economist as an example of excellence. In
2000 it was recognized as "one of the most
reliable and profitable airlines in the third
world."
Scope of
Operations
In 2002,
the airline carried 1,054,687 passengers. It
employed 4,539 staff in January 2005.
Ethiopian Airlines commenced "Vision 2010" a
few years ago which aims to increase the net
profit of the airline to 1 billion US Dollars
and the staff to 6,000. The airline calls its
frequent flyer program "Sheba Miles" in
reference to the legendary Queen of Sheba.
Currently Ethiopian operates 35 flights
weekly to six destinations in the Middle
East; namely - Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Beirut,
Dubai, Jeddah and Sana'a. The introduction of
two additional weekly flights to Riyadh and
Kuwait will further strengthen Ethiopian's
foot prints in the Middle
East.
About
Ethiopia
Ethiopia,
the oldest independent nation in Africa, has
a heritage dating back to the first century
AD. Traders from Greece, Rome, Persia and
Egypt knew of the riches of what is now
Ethiopia, and by the first century AD, Axum
was the capital of a great empire. This realm
became one of the first Christian lands of
Africa. Late in the 10th Century, Axum
declined and a new Zagwe dynasty, centred in
what is now Lalibela, ruled the land. Axum,
Lalibela and Gonder now provide the greatest
historical legacy. It was in the 16th Century
that the son of the great explorer Vasco Da
Gama came to Ethiopia. He found a land of
many kingdoms and provinces beset by feuds
and war.In the 19th Century, under the
leadership of the great Emperor Menelik, the
country's passage to modernization began. The
following are some of Ethiopia's historical
attractions.
Training at the
Core
Pilot
Training School and Aviation Maintenance
Technician School, commissioned in 1964 and
in 1967 respectively, are selected as
training centers for African and Middle East
countries. The development of these training
outfits has made the Airline self-sufficient
in meeting its requirements for personnel of
professional categories, using a highly
qualified and experienced Ethiopian Airline
training staff. Over the last 35 years, these
training schools and their respective
training units have also been extending their
services to the nationals of over 52
countries in Africa, The Middle East, Asia
and Europe.
School
Accreditation
The
syllabi of both schools are approved and
accredited by
•
Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority
•
African Civil Aviation Commission
African
Airlines Association
•
International Civil Aviation
Organization
Continued
...
Admission
and Registration
An
applicant should be a high school graduate or
equivalent (at GCE 'O' level minimum) with
good grades in English, Mathematics and
Physics. Candidates must be between 18 and 25
years of age and must pass category I medical
examination by aviation medical
examiner.
For pilot
trainees, the minimum height requirement is
170 cm.
Language
The medium
of instruction is English. Candidates are
required to read, write, speak and understand
English. For non-English speakers, a 4-6
months English language course is conducted
at extra fee, with the aid of a modern
language laboratory.
Training
Facilities
Various
training aids are used to help trainees
understand the subject matter thoroughly in a
relatively short period. These include
various projection and audiovisual (AVU)
equipments, computer based training
facilities (CBT), simulators, microcomputer
processors and digital technology laboratory
equipments.
For
further information please
contact:
Division
Manager Technical Sales &
Marketing
SITA
Address: ADDMGET
Telephone:
+251-11-6615272
Fax:
+251-11-6611738
E-Mail:
Mkttech@ethiopianairlines.com
Ethiopian
Airlines
336 East
45th Street, Suite 301
New York,
NY 10017
212
867-0120
212
692-9589
Website
www.flyethiopian.com is a search leader on
Google, Yahoo and MSN.com for a wide variety
of Africa topics.
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