Ethiopian Airlines has opened reservations for a new route linking Addis Ababa and London Gatwick (LGW), marking its second London gateway alongside London Heathrow (LHR).

Flights are scheduled to commence from Nov. 21, operating three times per week using Airbus A350-900 aircraft. The Star Alliance member last served the airport in 2006.

Ethiopian’s booking system shows the nonstop route from its Addis Ababa Bole International Airport (ADD) hub will be offered on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, with a block time of eight hours.

The carrier currently serves two points in the UK, flying daily to LHR and five times per week to Manchester (MAN), England. The route between ADD and MAN operates as a one-stop service via Geneva in both directions.

According to OAG Schedules Analyser data, Ethiopian offers some 4,800 two-way weekly seats between Addis Ababa and London at present, and the addition of the LGW route will increase the total by a further 2,058.

The new route also restores the number of weekly frequencies to pre-pandemic levels. Prior to the COVID crisis, the airline offered a further three roundtrips per week to LHR, but flights have since been limited to 7X-weekly because of slot constraints.

While Ethiopian’s return flights from LHR are timed to arrive at ADD before 7 a.m.—allowing for connections to its main morning bank of flights—the service from LGW is scheduled to arrive later in the day, at 8.40 p.m., limiting the number of connection opportunities. However, analysis of OAG Schedules Analyser data shows that onward flights will be possible to destinations including Kigali, Rwanda; Entebbe, Uganda; and Nairobi, Kenya.