Close X
Friday, November 8, 2024
ADVT 
India

Ethiopia's India connect grows: A Dreamliner named Taj Mahal

Darpan News Desk Darpan, 20 Jul, 2014 07:12 AM
    In what is being seen as a recognition of the heavy traffic generated on its routes to the Indian subcontinent, the flagship carrier of the East African nation of Ethiopia has named its newest Boeing 787 Dreamliner after India's most famous monument.
     
    The Ethiopian Airlines (ET) has named its eighth 787 Dreamliner after the Taj Mahal, Mughal emperor Shah Jahan's monument of love to his wife. This is the first time that the airline has named an aircraft of its Dreamliner fleet after a historical or heritage site outside of Africa.
     
    To meet the demand from the Indian market, Ethiopian Airlines has decided to operate big-bodied aircraft connecting this Ethiopian capital. Officials said the airline has already deployed the 787 Dreamliner and is exploring new direct destinations in India.
     
    More than 13 million people travel out of India every year. Hence, with its large African network, ET hopes that it will be in a position to benefit from the heavy tourism business from India and the large number of those travelling across the region.
     
    Ethiopian, which currently flies daily to New Delhi and twice daily to Mumbai, is also looking at other Indian destinations like Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram.
     
    It also has a code sharing agreement with Air India and is set to start services to the south Indian city of Chennai, which it considers to be a gateway to a larger market.
     
    ET has named its previous seven Boeing 787s as Africa First, Lucy, Queen of Sheba, Lake Tana, Walia Ibex and Serengeti, all Ethiopian and African sites.
     
    "In doing so we are heralding the renaissance of Africa globally and we will continue promoting iconic international figures found in the destinations we serve," the ET official said.
     
    "This will also strengthen our already established relations with India as we have an increasing number of Indian travellers." 
     
    "As a pan African airline, ET is reflecting the global vision and scope of its services through such a naming," an official from ET told IANS. "This is to also show ET's commitment to recognise the world's famous places by carrying their names globally," he added.
     
    ET is the first African carrier to put Boeing's new state-of-the-art airplane into regular service in Africa. The first arrived last December and Ethiopian has nine more on order. This comes as Ethiopian becomes the 26th member of the Star Alliance, the world's largest airline alliance. 

    MORE India ARTICLES

    More Indians fancying foreign vacations this summer

    More Indians fancying foreign vacations this summer
    A strengthening rupee, the impact and influence of social media and, most importantly, the yearning of Indian travellers to explore the world, especially during the ongoing summer vacation, is contributing to the robust growth of India's outbound travel sector.

    More Indians fancying foreign vacations this summer

    Chinese foreign minister meets Sushma Swaraj, 'all issues' on table

    Chinese foreign minister meets Sushma Swaraj, 'all issues' on table
    China Sunday made contact with the new Indian government as its Foreign Minister Wang Yi, special envoy of President Xi Jinping, held talks with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj here, during which "all issues of significance" were on the table, including the unsettled border, Tibet and stapled visas besides a boost in trade ties.

    Chinese foreign minister meets Sushma Swaraj, 'all issues' on table

    AAP to move out following neighbours' complaint

    AAP to move out following neighbours' complaint
    41 Hanuman Road off Connaught Place in the heart of the national capital might no longer be the AAP's address as it could move out of the two-storey building that was its home for 18 months - because the neighbours are complaining, party sources said.

    AAP to move out following neighbours' complaint

    Arvind Kejriwal in damage control mode but can he save AAP?

    Arvind Kejriwal in damage control mode but can he save AAP?
    A day after a deep divide between AAP's top leaders came to the fore, its chief Arvind Kejriwal Saturday admitted it needed "restructuring" and said the "differences" had been resolved.

    Arvind Kejriwal in damage control mode but can he save AAP?

    Uneasy calm at Golden Temple post-clash on Operation Bluestar anniversary

    Uneasy calm at Golden Temple post-clash on Operation Bluestar anniversary
    An uneasy calm prevailed at the Golden Temple complex here on the 30th anniversary of Operation Bluestar Friday following a clash between radical Sikh activists and SGPC task force volunteers in which 10 people were injured.

    Uneasy calm at Golden Temple post-clash on Operation Bluestar anniversary

    Defamation charges framed against Kejriwal

    Defamation charges framed against Kejriwal
    A court Friday framed charges against AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal in a defamation case filed against him by BJP leader Nitin Gadkari.

    Defamation charges framed against Kejriwal