By Victor Shalton
Ethiopian Posts Leading Punctuality Record for 2021
Against a backdrop of the coronavirus health crisis and the downward trend in the aviation industry that has seen a significant drop in air business volume, Africa’s largest airline by size, Ethiopian Airlines has today announced it achieved a punctuality of 91% On-Time Performance of all global flight departures for the last three months 2021 compared with the industry average of around 85%.
Ethiopian operated a total of 18,385 flights in January, February, and March.
Ethiopian Airline Group CEO Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam said, “As a customer-centric airline, we make a substantial investment to enhance our customer service. When customers choose Ethiopian, we make sure that they get the best possible experience with us including arriving to their destinations on time. The last three months have been extraordinarily productive in terms of efficiency in our flight operation. I am proud of my colleagues who are committed to eliminate any inconvenience for our esteemed passengers.”
“We have recognized from our customers’ feedback that the COVID-19 Travel Requirements, and especially the expiry of Negative PCR Test certificates by many countries after 72 hours, have made on-time flight departures and smooth connectivity more important than ever in the past. As a result, our winning team has made it its top priority and achieved record levels of flight punctuality,” Ethiopian wrote in a statement.
Airline performance is determined by on-time arrivals, and a flight is considered on-time if it arrives or departs its gate within 15 minutes of the scheduled time.
The East African carrier reduced the flights it offered and suspended most of its international flight routes last year – as was the case with most airlines – as a result of declining demand and travel restrictions implemented during the Coronavirus pandemic, which began in March 2020. The company pivoted and slowly finding its footing to meet the surging demand for air freight, repurposing 45 passenger jets to build out its cargo network.
Ethiopian is gradually resuming its passenger services and continues to command the lion’s share of the Pan-African passenger and cargo network, while operating the youngest and most modern fleet to 127 international passenger and cargo destinations across five continents.
Ethiopian Airlines recently announced it has taken the delivery of its first Boeing 737-800SF passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversion, with the aircraft delivered from an Aeronautical Engineers Inc. (AEI) authorized Conversion Center, Commercial Jet in Miami. The second 737-800 contracted with AEI is currently undergoing the P2F conversion, with its delivery expected in May 2021.
Ethiopian’s fleet includes ultra-modern and environmentally friendly aircraft such as Airbus A350; Boeing 787-8 and 787-9; Boeing 777-300ER, 777-200LR and 777-200F and Bombardier Q-400 double cabin with an average fleet age of five years.
Victor Shalton’s love for aviation can be traced to when he was 11-years-old. As a seasoned aviation writer, he takes pride in providing the best aviation coverage around the globe and is passionate about advancing his skills in the aviation space. In addition, he loves travelling, writing, arts and while his speaking engagements have taken him around the world, he is proud to call Nairobi home.
