Summary
- Ethiopian Airlines has finally increased Toronto flights.
- It means it plans 37 weekly departures to North America this summer across seven routes.
- The carrier plans so as to add more US and Canadian destinations, with Denver, Minneapolis, Seattle, Houston, and potentially Montreal seemingly coming.
Ethiopian Airlines has increased Addis Ababa to Toronto flights from five weekly to every day. It follows the December 2023 loosening of the Ethiopia-Canada bilateral air service agreement that governs traffic rights and market access. Toronto is the carrier’s third North American path to be served every day.
Toronto grows
Taking effect from April 1st (no joke), Ethiopian will finally operate every day to Canada’s most populous city. While an increase of two weekly services may not seem much, it’s a crucial step within the carrier’s North American development.
In November, Ethiopian’s Chief Industrial Officer, Lemma Yadecha Gudeta, told me he’s keen to extend Toronto flights to every day. Now it has, helping with competitiveness and market share.
To Every day: Loosened Bilateral Enables Canadian Flight Growth For Ethiopian Airlines
Toronto can finally rise to every day, but what about Montreal?
Operated by the two-class, 348-seat Airbus A350-900, Toronto is scheduled as follows, with all times local. It’s amongst two-thirds of Ethiopian’s North American flights that leave Addis late at night and return early the next morning. That is to maximise connections across the vast African continent.
- Addis-Rome: ET552, 23:00-04:20+1 (6h 20m block)
- Rome-Toronto: ET552, 05:20-08:50 (9h 30m)
- Toronto-Addis: ET553, 11:00-07:00+1 (13h)
Image: GCMAP
As you most likely know, the outbound departure stops in Rome is to refuel and to vary crew; there isn’t any fifth freedom traffic rights. The stop is essential as a consequence of Addis’s renewed high elevation, which reduces aircraft performance with an honest payload. It previously flew via Rome, switched to Dublin, and reverted to the Italian capital as a consequence of a greater deal and more payload capability, improving route performance.
37 weekly flights next summer
As of January 2nd and subject to vary, Ethiopian plans seven US and Canadian passenger routes with a maximum of 37 weekly flights (each way). Evaluation of schedules using OAG data shows that this can be a record. In summer 2023, the very best was 35 weekly and ‘just’ 24 in summer 2019. A decade ago, it had only 10.
Photo: Oleh Yatskiv | Shutterstock
Its network is as follows. Two routes stop in Lomé, Togo, which enables passengers to attach across Western and Central Africa with Ethiopian’s partner ASKY.
- Every day: Addis-Washington Dulles (via Rome outbound, non-stop back); 777-300ER, 777-200LR
- Every day: Addis-Chicago (via Rome out, non-stop back); 787-8
- Every day: Addis-Toronto (via Rome out, non-stop back); A350-900
- Five weekly: Addis-Newark (via Lomé in each directions); 787-8
- 4 weekly: Addis-Atlanta (via Rome out, non-stop back); 787-9
- 4 weekly: Addis-Latest York JFK (via Abidjan in each directions); 787-8
- Three weekly: Addis-Washington Dulles (via Lomé in each directions); 787-8
All within the time
Routes like Toronto that stop in Rome leave Addis late at night and return early. In contrast, those operating via West Africa leave between 08:35 and 09:00 and return the next evening. Because of this passengers flying via Lomé profit from ASKY’s two-way connectivity.
Photo: Philip Pilosian | Shutterstock
Outbound flights via West Africa are fed by far fewer intra-African arrivals, although key cities in East Africa can be found. In addition they profit from South Asian passengers. While this may increasingly seem surprising given the backtracking, many individuals do connect. Flights return to Addis at 21:00+ the following day, connecting to a handful of places in East Africa together with South Asia.
More coming?
In November, the Ethiopian’s CCO disclosed that two additional North American passenger destinations will probably be addedHe said that Denver, Minneapolis, Seattle, Houston, and Montreal are coming.
The airline flew to Houston between December 2019 and March 2020, which was obviously pulled due to pandemic. It will need to have done sufficiently well to be returning. As with the opposite destinations, there isn’t any timeframe for after they will probably be announced, let alone start.
Ethiopian Airlines Plans 2 Latest North American Destinations Per 12 months
These places are targeted for passenger flights.
Montreal is difficult. While Ethiopian Airlines has benefited from a marginal loosening of the Canadian bilateral, it has not (yet?) been given fifth freedom traffic rights via West Africa. This will probably be key for Montreal, with flying via Lomé logical. In spite of everything, it could allow passengers to attach across Francophone Western and Central Africa, which is clearly vital for the Canadian city.
What do you make of all of it? Tell us within the comments section.