It looks increasingly unlikely that Africa’s largest airline, Ethiopian Airlines, will join most other African airlines and temporarily halt direct flights to China due to the coronavirus outbreak. While six of eight African carriers have stopped flying to China out of fear of transporting passengers infected with the highly contagious virus, the CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, Tewolde Gebremariam, recently indicated that broader political, economic and Sino-African relationship issues are behind the company’s decision to maintain its direct flights.
It’s worth noting, though, that although ET will continue its routes, the frequency and plane size are both being reduced. As of this month, Ethiopian Airlines is now flying just five times a week, rather than daily, to Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing using smaller Airbus A350 to Boeing 787-8 jets rather than the usual Boeing 777s.
