Airbus Analysis Spotlights ET African Market Growth, Identifies Lucrative Routes | The Reporter Ethiopia

Airbus’s analysis highlights ET African market growth, focusing on how Ethiopian Airlines is gaining share on routes linking African hubs to key global cities such as London and Dubai. The study, titled “Exploring the Horizons: A Study of Unserved Air Routes to, from and within Sub-Saharan Africa,” was published this month and examines route performance and connectivity over the past three years. Airbus points to Ethiopian and its Addis Ababa hub as central drivers of growth, including the airline’s launch of nonstop flights from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport (ADD) to London Gatwick, launched amid a surge in passengers from places like Harare, Zimbabwe. Airbus says the service helped Ethiopian overtake Emirates for the diaspora, leisure, and Visiting Friends and Relatives market. A similar effect is cited for the Doulala (Cameroon) to Dubai route, where Ethiopian edged out Rwandair after Rwandair faced detours following a 2025 closure of the DRC airspace to Rwandan-registered aircraft. The report notes Ethiopian still provides MRO services to Rwandair. Airbus also identifies connectivity gaps, including routes from Lagos to Canada and Guangzhou, and says only 10 routes have at least three weekly flights, each starting or ending in Addis Ababa or Nairobi. For cargo, it points to opportunities on Brussels–Johannesburg links and notes Ethiopian already operates twice-weekly freighters there.