Ethiopian Airlines Eyes Asian Growth Through Enhanced Singapore Ties

SINGAPORE—Ethiopian Airlines is aiming to deepen its Asia–Africa connectivity and expand its presence in the region as interest in travel to Africa increases.

The push follows a state visit by Singapore’s prime minister to Ethiopia and Singapore’s announcement that it will open an embassy in Addis Ababa.

Telila Deressa Gutema, Ethiopian Airlines’ regional manager for Singapore, Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), told Aviation Week that traffic between Singapore and Ethiopia has grown significantly, driven by business travel, stronger trade flows and a rising number of leisure travelers from Singapore.

“As the embassy opens and ties deepen, we anticipate an even stronger flow of business and leisure travelers between Singapore and Africa, further solidifying Singapore’s role as a crucial gateway to the continent,” Gutema said.

Ethiopian Airlines operates a five-times-weekly Addis Ababa–Singapore service and views Bangkok, Seoul and Shanghai as key corridors feeding its African network.

Gutema noted that the profile of connecting passengers has shifted. “Travelers are no longer connecting through Addis purely for convenience or to reach major capitals. Increasingly, passengers choose Ethiopian Airlines because our network gives them access to secondary and emerging African cities that are historically difficult to reach from Asia,” he said, pointing to East Africa’s technology and manufacturing corridors, West Africa’s commercial centers, Central Africa’s resource hubs and Southern Africa’s tourism regions.

Eighty percent of passengers at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport are transit travelers.

The airline is now awaiting delivery of new Boeing 787s and 777-9s, as well as the completion of the new Bishoftu Airport, which will be capable of handling 60 million passengers annually once operational.

On China, Gutema added that the number of mainland Chinese travelers heading to Africa has grown noticeably as confidence in outbound travel returns—along with a new trend of staying longer and seeking a wider range of experiences across the continent.