Ethiopian Airlines announced yesterday that April 8, 2021 would mark the 75th anniversary of the airline’s first commercial flight. This inaugural service flew from Ethiopia’s capital of Addis Ababa to Egypt’s capital of Cairo.
The flight was powered by a Douglas C-47 Skytrain and passed through Asmara, Eritrea’s capital. Ethiopian’s original fleet consisted of five C-47s purchased from the United States army. These were developed from Douglas’ famous DC-3 and previously operated as military transport aircraft. Ethiopian’s C-47s were configured to transport both passengers and freight.
Ethiopian has grown at a rapid and consistent rate in the 75 years since. Planespotters.net reports that its fleet currently consists of 127 aircraft. These include some of the most modern and efficient twinjets in the sky, such as the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350. With this fleet, Ethiopian serves the fourth-largest number of countries of any airline.
The ongoing coronavirus continues to have a significant impact on the world of commercial aviation. As a result, Ethiopian’s 75th birthday probably did not go as planned. Nonetheless, the airline was able to commemorate the occasion with a special event on a flight to Cairo As previously stated, this was Ethiopia’s first commercial route.
Ethiopian has reason to be happy not only because it is celebrating its 75th anniversary, but also because of how it handled the pandemic. After all, Tewolde GebreMariam, the airline’s CEO, stated that the carrier “remains the only commercial airline that hasn’t sought government bailout and hasn’t laid off a single employee.” The anniversary commemoration marks the beginning of a year-long celebration with the theme “Celebrating 75 Years of Excellence.”
