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Alan Winde, Minister of Economic Opportunities, has welcomed the launch of Ethiopian Airlines flights to Cape Town.

The carrier, one of Africa’s largest, operated its inaugural flight to Cape Town International Airport last night.

This evening, Minister Winde is set to deliver an address at a gala function celebrating the start of the flight schedule.

The Ethiopia-Cape Town schedule will operate six times weekly.

Minister Winde said the decision spoke to the confidence the airline had in Cape Town as a world-class business and leisure destination.

“Improved air access is linked to increased jobs and growth in our tourism and conferencing industry. That is why we have developed an air access strategy which outlines the benefits of further direct routes between Cape Town and strategic destinations. New routes into Africa are a focus of our air access strategy.
“I was also pleased to hear that the first flight out of Cape Town last night was fully booked. I am confident this route will foster increased trade and investment between the two destinations,” said Minister Winde.
In a press statement, Ethiopian Airlines said Cape Town was one of Africa’s “main tourism destinations”, adding that the flights would “facilitate trade, investment and tourism ties…” between the Western Cape and Ethiopia.

Ethiopian Group CEO, Tewolde Gebremariam, said: "As a Pan-African airline working to bring Africa together and closer to the world, we are very pleased to spread our wings to Cape Town and Gaborone. Our new flights to Cape Town and Gaborone will give our customers more and convenient connectivity options when traveling within, to and from the continent. We will continue to expand our reach in our home market in Africa with a view to supporting the continent’s socio-economic integration and development.”

Issued by Western Cape Government