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Ethiopian Airlines hot on the heels of SAA

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Ethiopian Airlines hopes that additions to its fleet will allow it to leave its key African competitors in the dust.

The airline is already hot on the heels of SAA, according to a comparison of the latest annual reports.

Ethiopian Airlines transported 6.9 million passengers in its past financial year, compared with SAA’s 7.1 million.

It is the fastest growing airline in Africa, and has – alongside Kenya Airways – begun scooping up various awards, which have been dominated by SAA for the past two decades.

Last year, Ethiopian Airlines was crowned the best African airline as a result of its recent financial success, fleet modernisation, route expansion, in-flight service and client service.

Although the airline’s financial success makes its competitors look mediocre at best, it is not just the passenger numbers, fleet size and profit that matter to the industry and to passengers.

For example, SAA still comes in at number 34 on the list of the top 100 airlines in the world, according to international air transport rating organisation Skytrax.

Ethiopian Airlines is at number 77 and Kenya Airways at 86, but the former now hopes to make rapid progress in this regard.

Tewolde Gebremariam, CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, told City Press’ sister paper Rapport that he ascribed his airline’s growth and financial success to good planning and minimal interference.

Without a plan – a proper one – no airline in Africa or anywhere else was going to remain in the sky, he said.

When it is also a national carrier, the distinction between strategic oversight and management needs to be very clear.

Political interference was deadly, said Gebremariam. Airlines such as SAA were owned by the state, but they were not in its pocket, he said.

“The airline and the nation’s strategic goals have to match, but that is largely where government’s role ends – apart from keeping an eye on the airline’s management to ensure that it is sound.

“State-owned entities worldwide have a bad reputation. We believe that if you keep the owner and the financial affairs apart, you have a good chance of success.

“Our business model has worked thus far and, for that reason, I think other airlines in Africa can benefit from the same model.”

Gibson was flown to Toulouse in France by Ethiopian Airlines

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