One year later, Ethiopian Airlines flight unites the diaspora and connects Atlanta to all of Africa

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Ethiopian Airlines‘ direct flight from Atlanta has Addis Ababa, which celebrates its first anniversary on May 17, does more than transport passengers and cargo to and from the Ethiopian capital; it connects Atlanta to everyone Africa – and the Africans of Atlanta among themselves.

The airline’s intention for this flight is to serve as a gateway from the Southeastern United States to more than 64 African destinations and more than 136 international destinations, according to Salomon Mekonnen Fantadirector of traffic and sales of Ethiopian Airlines, Southeastern United States.

“Atlanta was only directly connected to Africa by two points. But we considered the option of connecting all of Africa. We serve over 64 destinations in Africa, so we offer travelers to Africa the opportunity to travel anywhere in Africa,” he says.

Several African diaspora communities in Atlanta are excited about this flight because, like Cameroon community representative and OneVoiceAfrica co-president Viviane Ayafor states, it is an airline that is “ours, by ourselves and for us”.

The pan-African spirit of flight is evident among the various leaders of the African community in Atlanta.

“We don’t consider it an Ethiopian airline, we consider it an African airline,” echoes Edafe Sodjehead of Nigerian Public Affairs Committee and co-chair of OneVoiceAfrica, commenting on behalf of the Nigerian community in Georgia.

The flight generated much excitement within Atlanta’s African community, both for its ability to connect families to their home countries and for promoting international business.

The 12,000 Kenyans living in Atlanta area ‘rallied behind this theft,’ says Eric Mwangiboss of ABN worldwidean African business networking and marketing organization based in Atlanta.

“For us, it’s a national airline,” he says, pointing out that Kenya and Ethiopia share a border, so the flight is an easy route for the Kenyan diaspora in the southeast to reach their homeland. native country.

Even Atlanta’s smallest African communities, like the 500 Rwandan living in the metropolitan area, are excited about the Ethiopian Airlines flight, not only for its convenience but also for its effect in uniting the community around its African roots, says Rwandan Community of Atlanta representative Olivia Mugenga.

“What is important is the pride of brotherhood, the pride of Africa, by Africans for Africans… The response from the community is very positive,” says Ms. Mugenga.

Eritrean community leader in Atlanta Yonas Abraham agrees that the flight fosters a sense of unity and even encourages African Americans in the Southeast to undertake “home” trips to Africa.

The travelers on the flight are not only staying in Africa; they connect via Addis Ababa to other international destinations in Europe, Asia and beyond, says Mr. Abraha. Ethiopian Airlines serves 136 destinations worldwide.

The flight also strengthens direct trade relations between the Southeast and Africa. The 8,000 Ghanaians in the Atlanta area are “excited” about the flight, and their business community is helping promote Ethiopian as an alternative to other competing airlines that “take us (the African diaspora) for granted.” , he says. Matthew Abakah of the Ghanaian Council of Georgia.

Mr. Sodje adds that Ethiopian Airlines has opened up opportunities for importing and exporting goods across the African continent.

In the year since the flight began, Ethiopian Airlines has transported 1,200 tons of cargo and some 53,000 passengers between Atlanta and Addis Ababa, with most travelers connecting to onward destinations.

African communities in the Atlanta area hope the frequency of the four-times-a-week flight will increase to a daily flight.

“Daily flights would give us more opportunities to connect our residents here to communities and business opportunities throughout Africa and Europe, and even Asia,” says Abraha.

“There is huge potential from Atlanta to Africa and the Middle East. So we hope – and plan – to have more frequency in the years to come,” says Fanta.

Visit www.ethiopianairlines.com for more information on the Atlanta-Addis Ababa flight, stopover packages and route maps for the airline’s destinations worldwide.

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