Ethiopian Airlines to resume JFK flights via Abidjan after three-year hiatus

Ethiopian Airlines (ET) will resume direct flights to New York via Abidjan after a three-year hiatus, the airline has announced.

The Addis-Ababa-based airline said that it would be resuming the four-weekly service to John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) from May 29, 2023, according to a statement released on February 23, 2023. The route was first operated in June 2019.

However, services on the route were suspended in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The airline then resumed serving New York via Lomé in October 2020.

Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Mesfin Tasew said: “We are excited to bring back our direct flight between Abidjan and New York.”

Tasew added: “We have long been offering flights with the best connectivity between the US and Africa. The resumption of our Abidjan-New York flight brings back the flexibility that our passengers love.”

Expanding operations
Tasew also highlighted the airline’s efforts to increase frequencies and add services to new destinations in Africa, Europe, Middle East, and Asia.

This includes the launch of new passenger services to Copenhagen from May 22, 2023, as well as a new four weekly service between Addis Ababa (ADD) and Atlanta (ATL) from May 16, 2023.

ET’s cargo and logistic arm, Ethiopian Cargo & Logistics Services, also started two weekly freighter flights on February 10, 2023, connecting Xiamen with São Paulo and Santiago via Addis Ababa, as well as two weekly freighter flights between Shenzhen and Liège on February 17, 2023.

Ethiopian Airlines currently flies to more than 130 international passenger and cargo destinations from its main hub at Addis Ababa.