Ethiopian Airlines Returns to London Gatwick

DALLAS - Ethiopian Airlines (ET) will return to London Gatwick Airport (LGW) with a thrice-weekly service from its Addis Ababa Bole International (ADD) hub commencing on November 21.

The new Gatwick rotation will complement its daily flights to London Heathrow (LHR). The airline also serves Manchester (MAN) five times per week. UK passengers can connect onto ET’s flights to more than 60 African destinations across East, South, Central and West Africa and onwards to the Far East ad Asia.

Ethiopian began flying to the UK in April 1973. It previously served LGW in 2005 and 2006 with its Boeing 757s. Flights will now be operated by its 348-seat Airbus A350-900s, configured in a two-class layout with 30 in business and 318 in economy.

Flight ET718 will depart ADD at 00:15, arriving at LGW at 05:15. The return service will leave LGW at 10:10 and arrive at ADD at 20:40, with all times in local. The flights will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

ET Airbus A350-900 Economy cabin. Photo: Ethiopian Airlines.

CEO Comments

ET Group CEO Mesfin Tasew said, “We give high regards to our Heathrow services and now we are excited to add Gatwick to our vast global network. We are ready to stretch our reach to Gatwick and provide our renowned, award-winning services.

“Over the years, we have established commendable partnerships with over 100 UK-based companies in the aviation sector. Our expansion in the UK, among others, will enable us to nurture this cooperation and partnership to a higher level.”

Meanwhile, Jonathan Pollard, Chief Commercial Officer, London Gatwick, added, “We look forward to welcoming Ethiopian Airlines to London Gatwick. This is the latest in a number of carriers looking to operate long-haul routes from Gatwick, which further highlights the strong demand for slots at our airport.”

Ethiopian Airlines ET-AVE Airbus A350-941. Photo: Alberto Cucini/Airways.

Gatwick Growth

Indeed, Ethiopian has become the latest carrier to launch new long-haul services from the UK’s second busiest airport. In recent months Norse Atlantic Airways (Z0) have launched five new routes to the United States from LGW. Meanwhile, British Airways (BA) has added several new long-haul routes, and Air Mauritius (MK) will launch a daily flight to Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport (MRU) in October.

The new additions mean that LGW now offers passengers a choice of 50 long-haul destinations, reaching 80% of its pre-Covid long-haul routes.

https://airwaysmag.com/air-china-returns-london-gatwick/

Featured Image: Ethiopian Airlines ET-AVB Airbus A350-900. Photo: Tony Bordelais/Airways.