ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopian Airlines announced that it will be flying its flagship Dreamliner aircraft to Israel sometime next week, making it the first of its kind to land in Israel. It will be the first commercial flight from Addis Ababa to Tel Aviv using the new aircraft, which the company has already begun showing off with stops in the UAE and Mozambique recently. According to company officials, the East African airlines will also begin weekly flights to Tel Aviv using the Boeing 787 Dreamliner next winter. Ethiopian Airlines' Israel Manager Asrat Begashaw said on Wednesday was set to receive yet another Dreamliner later this month. “We're bringing this plane to Israel as a gesture to our passengers from Israel who have faith in us and fly with us to Ethiopia and other destinations in Africa. The first flight to Israel will be an introductory flight for the Israeli audience. Once we receive the other planes, we will operate a weekly route to Tel Aviv,” Begashaw said. The airline, the first with the flagship Dreamliner in Africa is also to use the plane for direct daily flights from Addis Ababa to Washington beginning September 20. In total, Ethiopia Airlines has ordered 10 Dreamliners, with five expected to be in service by the end of the year and the rest by 2014. The airline's chairperson, Tewolde Gebremariam, said: “The fact that we are the first airline after Japan to receive this ultra modern aircraft is an affirmation of our continual pioneering role in African aviation."
