Ethiopian Marks Star Alliance 20th Anniversary August 1st, 2017
Ethiopian Airlines Group, a Star Alliance member, has colourfully marked the 20th anniversary of Star Alliance, the largest global airline network, while also inaugurating its maiden flight to Kaduna, Nigeria at a reception held at Ethiopian main hub Addis Ababa Bole International Airport on August 1st, 2017.
Ethiopian Group CEO, Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam and Star Alliance CEO, Mr. Jeffrey Goh have graced the event; discussing on-going developments and the Alliance’s strategy for the next decade with Ethiopian employees.
While addressing attendees of the celebration, Group CEO Ethiopian Airlines, Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam remarked,” We are glad to celebrate this momentous occasion at Ethiopian and wish all members of the Alliance a Happy 20th Anniversary. We are sincerely honoured and are very thankful for Mr. Jeffrey for joining us here today. Dedicated to innovation for a thriving customer experience across the Alliance’s network, Star Alliance has benefited member airlines and customers with its worldwide reach and seamless connectivity.
In a historic coincidence, the inaugural ceremony of our fifth destination in Nigeria, Kaduna has matched with the 20th anniversary celebration. As a Pan-African airline and a proud member of Star Alliance, we are pleased to avail seamless connectivity to 55 African cities. I strongly believe that the future holds better collaboration and growth for all of us in the Alliance.”
Mr. Jeffrey Goh, CEO of Star Alliance on his part said: “One of the founding pillars of Star Alliance is our global network, which strengthens continuously as our 28 member airlines grow their individual networks. Ethiopian Airlines’ new flight to Kaduna in Nigeria adds a further destination to over 1,300 already on offer to our customers. As we move into our third decade, our strategic focus is shifting from adding new member airlines to digitalization. We are steadily enhancing our product offering to include the complementary digital services today’s customers expect.”
Created in 1997 by five airlines as the first global aviation alliance, Star Alliance delivers the world’s finest Alliance network experience and Ethiopian Airlines, the largest Aviation Group in Africa joined Star Alliance on December 13, 2011 being the Alliance’s third carrier based on the African continent.
About Ethiopian
Ethiopian Airlines (Ethiopian) is the fastest growing Airline in Africa. In its seventy plus years of operation, Ethiopian has become one of the continent’s leading carriers, unrivalled in efficiency and operational success.
Ethiopian commands the lion’s share of the pan-African passenger and cargo network operating the youngest and most modern fleet to more than 100 international passenger and cargo destinations across five continents. Ethiopian fleet includes ultra-modern and environmentally friendly aircraft such as Airbus A350, Boeing 787, Boeing 777-300ER, Boeing 777-200LR, Boeing 777-200 Freighter, Bombardier Q-400 double cabin with an average fleet age of five years. In fact, Ethiopian is the first airline in Africa to own and operate these aircraft.
Ethiopian is currently implementing a 15-year strategic plan called Vision 2025 that will see it become the leading aviation group in Africa with seven business centers: Ethiopian Express & Ancillary Services; Ethiopian International Services; Ethiopian Cargo Services; Ethiopian MRO Services; Ethiopian Aviation Academy; ET In-flight Catering; and Ethiopian Ground Services. Ethiopian is a multi-award winning airline registering an average growth of 25% in the past seven years.
About Star Alliance
The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer worldwide reach, recognition and seamless service to the international traveller. Its acceptance by the market has been recognized by numerous awards, including the Air Transport World Market Leadership Award and Best Airline Alliance by both Business Traveller Magazine and Skytrax. The member airlines are: Adria Airways, Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, Avianca Brasil, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, THAI and United. Overall, the Star Alliance network currently offers more than 18,400 daily flights to 1,300 airports in 191 countries. Further connecting flights are offered by Star Alliance Connecting Partner, Juneyao Airlines.
For more information about this press release, please contact:
Mrs. Hanna Atnafu
Manager Corporate Communications, Ethiopian Airlines
Tel :( 251-1)517-89-07/656/165/913/529
CorporateCommunication@ethiopianairlines.com
