Ethiopian Airlines to resume flights to Eritrea’s capital Asmara today

Ethiopian Airlines will on Wednesday resume direct flights to Asmara, the capital of neighbouring Eritrea for the first time in decades.

Ethiopian ForiegnMinisrry spokesman, Meles Alem said that the Ethiopian National carrier will resume flights to the Eritrean capital Asmara carrying 465 passengers.

Flight 0312 will be leaving Addis Ababa at 9 a.m. with an expected arrival time of 10:10 a.m.

Passengers on board will include former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, other government officials, and a contingent of Ethiopian investors, artists and journalists.

The Government of Eritrea said the flight reflects the commitment of both governments to re-establish trade, transport and communications, which was one of five pillars of the newly negotiated peace agreement between the two longtime foes. Phone lines were reconnected between them last week.

For their part, Ethiopian Airlines officials are excited to be part of the renewed relationship on the Horn of Africa, spurred by the reform-minded Abiy’s decision to accept the terms of a land-dispute ruling legally established in 2000 but never honoured by Ethiopia.

“We at Ethiopian feel an immense honour and joy to resume scheduled flights to Asmara after 20 years,” said CEO Tewolde GebreMariam in a statement. “The resumption of air links will play a critical role in boosting the overall political, economic, trade and people-to-people ties between the two sisterly countries.”

Ethiopia’s national airline will take a 20 per cent stake in Eritrean Airlines, according to the state-owned Ethiopian Press Agency.

The renewed service comes after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s weekend and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki pledged cooperation in political, economic and security matters, easing relations that have been fraught for almost two decades.