Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s largest airline network, has resumed direct flights to Karachi after a 19-year hiatus.
The flight, carrying 110 passengers, including senior Ethiopian officials, diplomats, and a trade delegation, arrived at Jinnah International Airport on schedule. The passengers received a traditional and grand welcome upon arrival, including a welcome by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and his delegation.
The airline made the announcement of the development on its Twitter account and plans to operate four weekly flights from Addis Ababa to Karachi. The flight, ET 694, departed from Addis Ababa with a delay of 52 minutes but still managed to arrive at Jinnah International Airport one minute before the scheduled time.
The flight used a brand new Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, and the same aircraft will leave for Addis Ababa in flight ET 695. Ethiopian Airlines operated direct flights to Karachi in the 1960s and 1990s before discontinuing the service.
During a press conference 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.
