Konjit Tedla

Ethiopian Airlines is deemed as the fastest growing airline in Africa, and China is its largest overseas market. Konjit Tedla, Ethiopian Airlines Regional Director of China, Mongolia and North Korea, sat down with ChinAfrica, to share her thoughts about the airline's ambition for the Chinese market in the future.

As China has become Ethiopian Airlines' largest overseas market, what are the new services provided to Chinese passengers?

Ethiopian Airlines currently flies to four destinations in China - Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong, each with daily flights. China has become our largest overseas market and the most significant one as well, so we are doing our best to offer a [comfortable] travel experience to our Chinese passengers. In order to achieve that, we recently upgraded our Chinese Call Center by providing 24/7 service and launched our Chinese website. We are also recruiting Chinese-speaking staff for the interline counter in the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport to provide a seamless Chinese language service during travel.

We operate B777 and B787 Dreamliners to China, which are the most advanced aircraft to date. And we are proud to announce that the ninth B787 was introduced in our fleet in August, making Ethiopian Airlines the one with the largest number of B787 aircraft around the world. Some people may have a wrong impression that we have outdated aircraft since we are an airline from the underdeveloped African region. On the contrary, what we offer to Chinese passengers is among the best.

How did Ethiopian Airlines grow into a world-class airline in the still comparatively backward economic environment of Ethiopia?

Ethiopian Airlines is state-owned, which means the government can bring all the necessary factors into full play for one purpose. Over those years, a huge amount of investment was made to build the only airline in Ethiopia. Located in East Africa, Ethiopia is completely land-locked, so airline transportation is very important to the country.

It's an airline owned by Ethiopia but belonging to Africa because Ethiopian Airlines now flies to 49 cities in Africa and people from many countries must transfer in Ethiopia before they can reach other places. We actually serve as a sky bridge to connect Africa and the world. Ethiopia is still one of the most underdeveloped countries, but Ethiopian Airlines, supported by the concentrated effort of the country, is not trapped in that image with our modern management and qualification as a member of the Star Alliance.

How did Ethiopian Airlines build this tie with China?

Ethiopian Airlines was the first African carrier and the fourth in the world to operate to [China], back in 1973. Our first destination was Shanghai, one flight every two weeks. For 41 years we never left the Chinese market.

With Africa's economic boom and its growing trade, investment, business and tourism, overall ties between China and Africa have been growing exponentially in recent years. Today, we offer the best connectivity from four major cities in China to 48 cities in Africa and other areas. It is really fascinating for us to see that our network in China is growing very fast along with this relationship. 

Is there any further plan to explore the Chinese market?

We certainly plan to add more flights to the four destinations in China. But beyond that, we are also thinking about additional destinations, especially in west China, possibly in Chengdu or Chongqing. We have seen demands rising in those western regions, though not as much as in those along the east coasts of China. Presently, not many airlines are serving there, except those from [South] Korea, Japan and Hong Kong [SAR]. But the routes they offer are circuitous. We hope to connect those areas and Africa in a more convenient way for passengers through our participation.

Will the Ebola outbreak affect the flights? Is it safe to fly to Africa at this time?

Ethiopian Airlines does not have direct flights to the highly affected countries, not even to West Africa. We don't suggest people risk their health to travel to those highly affected areas at this time, but it's not necessary to cancel your regular business trip to Africa out of fear. As reiterated by the World Health Organization on August 14, air travel is low risk for Ebola transmission and air transport hubs are not [at] high risk for the spread of Ebola. Ethiopia is also taking serious quarantine measures to ensure the safety of domestic residents and foreign travelers.