Ethiopian Airlines resumes direct flights to Karachi after nearly 20 years

KARACHI: Ethiopian Airlines, the largest airline network in Africa, has resumed its direct flights to Karachi after a hiatus of 19 years.

The first flight after nearly two-decade-long break landed at the Jinnah International Airport with 110 passengers onboard this morning.

Passengers of the flight included senior Ethiopian diplomats, officials and a trade delegation, all of whom were given a grand, traditional welcome at the Old Terminal upon arrival.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and his delegation including provincial ministers Sharjeel Memon, Nasir Shah, Ikramullah Dharejo, and Murtaza Wahab received the Ethiopian delegation.

The airline also announced the development on its Twitter account.

"Ethiopian Airlines is pleased to announce that it has commenced four times weekly direct flights to Karachi, Pakistan," the tweet read.

Ethiopian Airlines operated direct flights to Karachi in the 1960s [July 1966 to December 1971] and 1990s [June 1993 to July 2004] before discontinuing the service. The airline resumed the service for the third time on May 9, 2023, after nearly two decades.

The flight, ET 694, departed from Addis Ababa with a delay of 52 minutes but still arrived at the Jinnah International Airport one minute before the scheduled time.

The four hours and 25 minutes flight was operated using a brand new Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft. The same aircraft will leave for Addis Ababa in flight ET 695.

Ethiopian Airlines plans to operate four weekly flights from Addis Ababa to Karachi.

During a press conference held in Karachi, the Ethiopian ambassador to Pakistan, Jamal Beker Abdula, thanked the Pakistani government for playing a vital role in restoring air connectivity and highlighted the potential benefits of direct flights for promoting trade and tourism between Ethiopia and Pakistan.