Michael Yohannes took the role of country manager UK at Ethiopian Airlines in 2017 after moving from a similar role in Dublin.
During your time in Ireland, Ethiopian moved its European hub to Dublin Airport and implemented a successful transatlantic strategy. What is your strategy as UK manager? How is the current LHR-ADD route performing?
I was fortunate enough to be able to launch and manage a successful Addis - Dublin - Los Angeles operation and had a very hard working team supporting me. Currently we operate a daily Airbus 350 flight from LHR to ADD that feeds to over 55 destination in Africa with reasonably good load factors throughout the year and together with my team, I want to ensure that we continue to increase our visibility to the trade and consumers alike as a first choice one-stop carrier between UK and Africa.
I think there is room for us to improve our support levels to the trade so that is a priority too and continuing to ensure that we have a competitive product out there at all times. Our shareholding agreement with Air Malawi, ASKY in Lome, the new Zambian Airways and other potential alliances in the pipeline provide opportunities for us to tap in to.
What new geographies are you targeting?
We are always looking to introduce new destination. In the first six months of 2018 we shall be introducing ten new destinations including Geneva, Barcelona, Kisangani (DRC), Toamasina (second city in Madagascar), Buenos Aires, Jakarta, Istanbul and Port Louis (Mauritius). There will also be second wave of flights to key destinations in Africa and Asia that provide us opportunities.
Will Heathrow be the main focus or, given its slot constraints, is the airline planning to grow its network elsewhere?
Additional frequency from LHR, introduction of second UK airport or a mixture of both are options that we are currently working hard to introduce as we need to bring more capacity to the market to achieve our long-term growth ambitions in the UK market.
Since Ethiopian implemented its Vision 25 strategy, growth has been rapid. Can the airline maintain this level of profitable expansion?
I believe we will continue to grow in a fast, sustainable and profitable manner for many years to come. Our growth and profitability is not based on good strategy alone but excellent management and skilled staff. In addition to our fuel efficient environmental friendly new aircraft, the infrastructure of our new Addis airport terminal extension that will cater for up to 20 million passengers a year, the newly opened catering unit that is capable of producing 100,000 meals per day, our in house training facility with annual intake capacity of 4,000 trainees per annum, our new Cargo Facility with an annual uplift capacity of one million tonnes, and our own five-star Addis Airport based Skyline hotel with 373 rooms are all complimentary to the strength of Ethiopian Aviation Group.
The IMF has forecast that Ethiopia’s economy will maintain its growth momentum over the coming years. However, is the airline worried about recent political unrest in the country?
In general the airline industry is used to dealing and navigating through unforeseen circumstances that occur globally and we do our best to be equipped for this. However, when it comes to Ethiopia the IMF forecast is in fact a confidence booster for the country as well as international organisations that are considering to invest.
Is there a perception issue for potential customers in Europe?
Perception is in human nature. It is also true brand awareness and recognition is a never-ending exercise and through time we have successfully demonstrated that Ethiopian is indeed a strong brand with potential to stands heads and shoulder above many of our competitors globally. We now operate the best aircrafts type, have globally acclaimed flight crew, ground staff with strong work ethic, we learn quickly and correct our mistakes. Our customers are at the forefront of everything we do and this I believe is what helped us compete and succeed on the transatlantic routes from Dublin.
How important is Ethiopian’s four-star recognition by SKYTRAX?
We have won many awards in the past but considering the associated importance of this award by many in our industry, I think it shows how far we have come as an airline and acts as a huge encouragement for us to continue to meet expectation of our esteemed customers.
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