Ethiopian Airlines plans to dominate the African skies

A member of the Star Alliance, Ethiopian Airlines is well-known as the largest airline in Africa. The flag carrier of Ethiopia flies to destinations in North America, Europe, Asia, and, of course, Africa. But its African presence and influence doesn’t end with the airline itself. In fact, Ethiopian Airlines, as a larger company has stakes in numerous other African airlines, giving it more influence than meets the eye.

Ethiopian Airlines has stakes in several African carriers to varying degrees. Here are just a few that we know of:

Zambia Airways: According to Southern Times Africa, the Ethiopian Airlines group put forth US$13.5m towards the revival of the long-forgotten airline. Established in 1964 but went under in 1995 following liquidity challenges, Zambia Airways is now 45% owned by Ethiopian.

ASKY Airlines: Largely based in Lomé, Togo, Ethiopian partners with privately-owned ASKY Airlines for various codeshares today. However, it was instrumental in the launch of the West African carrier and currently holds 40% ownership.

Malawian Airlines: Ethiopian Airlines also acquired a 49% stake in Malawi’s flag carrier in southern Africa in 2013. According to Quartz, it also operates the airline.

Finally, Ethiopian Airlines has also invested in Mozambique Airlines (also known as Ethiopian Mozambique Airlines) and Tchadia Airlines in Chad. Anna.aero points out that the Chad Government controls 51 % of Tchadia, while Ethiopian Airlines own the remaining 49%.

Ethiopian Airlines’ goal to spread itself across the continent is derived from its strategy to establish multiple hubs to ease connectivity across the continent. The airline knows that Africa has enormous untapped potential for aviation, and it wants to be a pioneer in order to cash in on this future growth.