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By Groum Abate - Capital
12 February 2007
Ethiopian Airlines has finalized negotiations to set up a hub in Togo’s capital Lome this week, after extensive efforts finally succeeded in setting up a West African hub.
The airline is seeking to set up a hub at Lome to use for its Europe and North America flights.
Sources told Capital that the official signing ceremony would take place in a few weeks.
During his stay at the 8th African Union Summit here in Addis, President Eyadema of Togo visited the facilities of Ethiopian Airlines where he pledged to provide all the assistance to Ethiopian in their efforts to enable the carrier to fly to European and American destinations from Togo in the future.
It is to be recalled that Girma Wake, CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, had told Capital that the plan for setting a West Africa Hub at Accra was delayed and that Accra officials had requested Ethiopian Airlines to wait until September, 2006, but had then failed to start discussions.
The partnership was due to be finalized in April, 2006 but has been delayed due to management reshuffling at Ghana International Airport. GIA then requested Ethiopian Airlines for an extension until September 2006.
However, the airline stated that it would no more be obliged to select Accra as its West Africa hub but would look to other strategic locations in West Africa.
Ethiopian Airlines and GIA had agreed in 2005 for Ethiopian to set up its West Africa Hub at Accra, in a partnership that would see the two carriers working together in terms of management and technical support. Ethiopian Airlines had been planning to utilize the Kotoko International Airport built in 1943, as its hub in Ghana.