Ababa, via Asmara, to Cairo; later operated
on a weekly basis.
There were no customer comforts in those
early days. Seats were along the sides of
the fuselage in a military lay-out and cargo
(including coffee and honey) was stored
in the ‘aisle’. These ‘hand-me-down’ aircraft
were used on several routes, including Addis
Ababa-Djibouti-Aden; Addis Ababa-Khartoum;
Asmara-Khartoum and Addis Ababa-Nairobi.
The airline bought four more Skytrains in
1946 and another three in 1947. Seating was
now traditional airline-style with 21 forward-
facing seats. That year, a service to Mukalla
(Yemen) was inaugurated, followed by Port
Sudan, Lydda (now known as Lod, Israel)
and Bombay (now Mumbai) which was
offered in co-operation with BOAC. EAL ew
to Aden and the British carrier completed the
journey. This service ceased in 1953.
In the late 1940s, EAL began charter
ights to Jeddah, and the domestic network
was expanded as more airstrips were
established. In 1949, the airline recorded a
pro t of £40,000 and in 1950, it transported
22,782 passengers, compared with 19,925
the previous year.
NEW AIRCRAFT
While the Skytrain would remain in domestic
service for some 40-odd years, the aircraft
quickly became outdated for international
ights so EAL bought two Convair 240s in
1950 and a third in 1955. Deals were nanced
through the American export-import bank
(EXIM). Boasting fully nished interiors (36
seats), these pressurised aircraft could y
higher, in smoother air. However, they needed
a longer runway, so in the beginning, JATO
canisters (like small rockets) were used
during take-off to provide additional thrust.
In 1953, EAL renegotiated the contract
with TWA so it could begin the process of
changing the carrier’s personnel over to its
own nationals. In January 1957, Captain
Alemayehu Abebe was appointed as the
rst Ethiopian aircraft commander. To further
strengthen local control a maintenance facility
was established in Addis Ababa, reducing the
need for work to be carried out overseas.In 1957, EAL started long-haul ights
to Frankfurt. To support the route (Addis
Ababa-Cairo-Athens-Frankfurt), two Douglas
DC-6B Cloudmasters (71 seats) had been
ordered the year before, with an option
taken on one more. They were nanced
through the EXIM bank. Liberia and Accra,
both in West Africa, were added to the
aircraft’s itineraries. The DC-6Bs needed a
long runway and it was this that drove the
government’s decision to build an entirely
new airport and headquarters at Bole, Addis
Ababa.
With Cloudmasters in charge of long-
distance services, the Convairs were
redeployed on domestic and regional
rotations. On June 4, 1957, a Lockheed
Constellation entered the eet, but it was
destroyed a few weeks later (July 10, 1957)
in an accident in Sudan.JET AGE
As the 1960s began, jet service on long-haul
was becoming an expectation, rather than
an exception. EAL considered buying the
Sud Aviation SE210 Caravelle, de Havilland
Comet 4 or Boeing 720 and eventually went
with the American offering. A contract for
two aircraft was signed in December 1962.
The 720’s initial service was to Nairobi and
in January 1963 Madrid was added to the list
of destinations. A third jet joined the eet in
1963 and was used on services to Rome. Two
Boeing 707-320Cs were ordered from the
US manufacturer in 1967 and 1968 and were
primarily used for cargo – capacity was four
times greater than the DC-6’s. Two further
720s were bought from Continental Airlines
in 1973.
At around the same time, the carrier
sold the two Convairs. To replace them
six additional DC-3s and two DC-6s
were acquired which were also to provide
additional capacity and replace two DC-3s,
lost in accidents in Jimma and Sendafarhttp://www.aviation-news.co.uk 49
Main photo: Recent acquisitions, including
787 Dreamliners, mean the carrier has one of
the youngest eets in Africa. Boeing
Top right: Ethiopian Airlines, like many other
carriers of the period, bene tted from the
huge surplus of mainly US Army Air Corps
C-47 Skytrains after World War Two. The
Douglas type soldiered on with the African
airline until 1991. Foundation Luftbild Schweiz
Above right: The increased runway length
required by the DC-6 necessitated the
construction of a new airport at Bole in Addis
Ababa. Bob O’Brien Collection
need for work to be carried out overseas.ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES FLEET
Aircraft Type No.
Bombardier Q400 23
Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner 19
Boeing 737-800 16
Boeing 737-700 10
Airbus A350-900 9
Boeing 767-300ER 9
Boeing 777-200LR 6
Boeing 777-200LRF 6
Boeing 777-300ER 4
Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner 3
Boeing 757-260F 2
Boeing 737 MAX 8 1OUTSTANDING ORDERS
Aircraft Type No.
Boeing 737 MAX 8 29
Airbus A350-900 15
Bombardier Q400 10
Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner 5
Boeing 777-200LRF 4
Boeing 737-800F 2Note: The 777-200LRFs, 757-260Fs and 737-
800Fs are freighters.