Yared Berta,Ethiopian Airlines' Chief Representative in China, describes the strategy to stay Africa's biggest carrier.  

ChinAfrica: As Africa's largest carrier, what are Ethiopian Airlines' competitive advantages?

Yared Berta: We served China more than 42 years with uninterrupted services. We have very big networks in China and Africa. [We have] four destinations [in China] - Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong, and more than 50 destinations across Africa. We also have good management and [a good] safety and security system.

What are the changes in the Chinese market? What other services will you provide?

In the past three and a half years in China, I have witnessed big changes between China and Africa in terms of bilateral trade and the economy and people-to-people connections. More and more airlines are joining the fierce market competition [and] yet, no other airline has connectivity like [we do].

Ethiopian Airlines plans to expand its destinations maybe in southwest China and increase flight frequency. We provide a variety of products suitable for the Chinese market. We have established a Chinese website, a Chinese call center, and a Chinese help desk at the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport with Chinese staff. Our Chinese air crew has been receiving training. We started to adjust our menu to provide Chinese meals on board that make Chinese [passengers] feel at home.

China is now promoting outbound travel and Ethiopia is very rich in tourism resources. How does Ethiopian Airlines take advantage of this opportunity to develop business?

We have developed a specific product for promoting Ethiopian tourism, a subsidiary called ET-Holidays. We have appointed special tour operators in different areas in China to specifically promote this product. We are working with the Ethiopian Government to have Ethiopian tourism board representatives in China, who will be in charge of promoting Ethiopia as a Chinese tourist destination.

Africa's aviation industry faces many problems that can affect passenger flow, such as aviation safety, war and diseases like Ebola. What do you think about this?

Despite the problems, the African economy is fueled by the growth of the aviation industry in Africa. We are taking advantage of this growth with our modern fleet, best connectivity, efficient management, and high safety and security standards. Most African countries are currently very stable with good governance, a rapidly growing economy and rich tourism resources.

The epidemic [will] be [brought] under control. The travel business is getting back to normal in West Africa where the epidemic broke out. In fact, Ethiopian Airlines never had direct operations in the countries affected by this epidemic. We would like more people to understand the real situation in Africa.

How does Ethiopian Airlines plan to stay Africa's largest airline in 2015? 

We are the largest carrier in Africa since 2014, both in terms of profitability and revenue. Ethiopian Airlines was awarded the Global Growth Company of 2015 certificate by the World Economic Forum in Dalian, China's Liaoning Province, in September. The airline was among 132 high-growth companies nominated on the basis of their potential to become global economic leaders.

Ethiopian Airlines was chosen from a broad spectrum of sectors, including banking, energy and aviation that share a track record of "exceeding industry standards in revenue growth, promotion of innovative business practices, and demonstration of leadership in corporate global citizenship." The Global Growth Companies community consists of 400 companies from around the world.