- Ethiopian Airlines starts with five Douglas C-47 Skytrains in April 1946.
- Carrier operates more than 140 destinations across five continents.
- Airline converts passenger jets to freighters during COVID-19 pandemic.
- Ethiopian opens maintenance facilities costing more than €138 million in July 2025.
- Fleet expansion programme targets over 125 new aircraft.
Ethiopian Airlines has celebrated 80 years of service and the carrier marks the milestone with events at its Skylight Hotel in Addis Ababa. The airline started out with five ex-US military Douglas C-47 Skytrains in April 1946 and Mesfin Tasew CEO officially kicked off the celebrations on Wednesday 8 April. The network spans more than 140 destinations across five continents with one of the continent’s youngest and most modern fleets of over 140 aircraft.
The airline converts passenger jets into freighters during COVID-19 and the pivot keeps operations running while it transforms the cargo division into a critical logistics artery for the continent. Ethiopian develops subsidiaries and establishes national carriers across the continent in Togo Zambia Mozambique and elsewhere while it positions Addis Ababa’s Bole International Airport as one of the busiest air transport hubs in Africa. Girma Wake serves as CEO from 2004 to 2011 and the airline pursues aggressive fleet renewal expands its route network at pace and champions its Vision 2025 strategic plan.
The airline opens a component maintenance workshop a central warehouse and a two-bay general maintenance hangar at a combined cost of more than €138 million in July 2025. Plans exist to establish an MRO venture in Togo West Africa through a collaboration with ASKY Airlines and the Ethiopian Aviation University sees 457 aviation professionals graduate in January 2026. The airline targets over 125 new aircraft in its fleet expansion programme.
Mesfin Tasew shared “this is a proud moment for Ethiopian Airlines and the entire African aviation industry. Keeping our pan African identity we have bridged gaps linked nations and connected economies for eight decades. This is not just a milestone for the management and staff it is also a remarkable moment for our stakeholders partners and our esteemed customers”.
