Ethiopian Wins International Diamond Prize for Excellence - 06 December, 2012

Ethiopian Airlines is pleased to announce that it has been awarded the International Diamond Prize for Excellence in Quality by the European Society for Quality Research (ESQR) on December 2, 2012 in Brussels. Ethiopian won the award for its commitment to quality, excellence and continuous improvement. Esayas Woldemariam, SVP Global Sales, received the award on behalf of Ethiopian during the ceremony held in Brussels. "This award is yet another testament of the hard work and dedication of all employees of Ethiopian.

It is through their continuous strive for excellence that Ethiopian is one of the fastest growing airlines in the world providing quality service to customers," said Tewolde Gebremariam, CEO of Ethiopian. The European Society for Quality Research (ESQR), an organization dedicated to quality, recognition and research, presents the International Diamond Prize for Excellence in Quality to selected companies and organizations for their efforts, achievements and excellence in quality management. This award is a continuation of recognition of Ethiopian operational excellence and performance. The International Diamond Prize for Excellence is the sixth international award Ethiopian has received in 2012.

About Ethiopian

Ethiopian Airlines, the fastest growing airline in Africa, made its maiden international flight to Cairo in 1946 and now the Airline provides dependable services to 70 international destinations spanning four continents. Ethiopian is proud to be a Star Alliance Member. The Star Alliance network is the leading global airline network offering customers convenient worldwide reach and a smoother travel experience. The Star Alliance network offers more than 21,555 daily flights to 1,356 airports in 193 countries.

Ethiopian is a multi-award winner for its commitment and contributions towards the development and growth of the African aviation industry and in recognition of its distinguished long-haul operations enhanced by the introduction of new routes and products. Recently, Ethiopian won gold in the African Airline of the Year 2011/2012 Awards organized by the African Aviation News Portal.

Ethiopian also received the 2011 AFRAA award for being consistently profitable over the years and has won the "AFRICAN CARGO AIRLINE OF THE YEAR 2011 Award" for its excellence in air cargo. Ethiopian also won the 2012 "African Airline of the Year Award" from Air Transport Quarterly Magazine. With its acquisition of and firm orders for several new modern fleet, the airline is well positioned to pursue aggressively the implementation of its Vision 2025 strategic plan to become the leading aviation group in Africa.