Ethiopian Airlines is moving its European hub to Dublin Airport from next month which will see the airline transit 10 transatlantic flights per week through the airport to destinations in the US and Canada.
Ethiopian Airline’s daily Boeing 777 flight from Addis Ababa to Washington and its three times weekly Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight from Addis Ababa to Toronto will stop at Dublin Airport for refuelling from May 10, 2015.
“We are delighted that Ethiopian Airlines has chosen Dublin Airport for its European transit fuel stops,” said Dublin Airport Managing Director Vincent Harrison. “This is a significant piece of business for Dublin Airport, which deepens our relationship with Ethiopian, and creates a solid platform for potential future business and growth opportunities. A number of other European airports were bidding for this contract, so it’s particularly pleasing to have won it.”
The flights will stop at Dublin Airport for refuelling on the westbound leg of the journey, therefore Ethiopian will not be accepting passengers in Dublin for the onward flights to both Washington and Toronto.
The refuelling stop is required on the westbound journeys due to the high altitude at Addis Ababa Airport, meaning aircraft use more fuel for take-off from there.
The transit stop comes ahead of the airline’s new three-weekly direct route from Dublin to Los Angles, and from Dublin to Addis Ababa, both of which are due to commence on June 20, 2015.
Michael Yohannes, Irish Area Manager for Ethiopian’s Airlines said the airline was looking forward to launching its new routes from Dublin to LA and Dublin to Addis Ababa in June. “We’re already seeing strong demand for these services in the Irish market,” Mr Yohannes added.
Passenger numbers at Dublin Airport have increased by 17% in the first three months of this year, as more than 4.7 million people have passed through the airport.
This year, Dublin Airport will have 21 new routes; comprising 10 new European services, four new transatlantic services, five new services to Britain and two new African destinations.
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