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By Andualem Sisay - Capital
16 May, 2007
Ethiopian Airlines has leased two B767 airliners jet to increase its capacity of transporting travelers to Ethiopia for the one and half year celebration of the Ethiopian Millennium that will begins this June.
This was disclosed indicated by the Tourism Newspaper, prepared by the Culture and Tourism Ministry and distributed at the 32nd Congress of African Travel Associations, here in Addis from May 6-11, 2007.
Though the number of Ethiopian diaspora and their relatives registered to come to Ethiopia for the celebration are not yet identified, the Ethiopian Millennium Festival Council is expecting the number to reach up to 750,000.
In addition, Ethiopian will also increase the number frequency of its international flights. It is to increase its four times weekly flight to the USA to six, from five to seven flights to Rome, from five times to six to London, from 11 flights to 14 to Dubai, from ten to 14 to Lagos and from five flight to India to seven a week.
The airline is also planning to use its new flight to Bahrain for transporting visitors from Australia. In those countries where the Ethiopian Airlines doesn’t fly to, it is planning to engage other airlines to fly to Ethiopia using the interline agreements.
Regarding internal flights, the airline is planning to replace the previously used Fokker 50 by jet airplanes. With regard to promoting Ethiopia, last month the airline sponsored some 14 journalists from Belgium to visit historical places around the country.
Ethiopia uses the Julian calendar, which is seven years and eight months behind the Gregorian calendar. The government is using the Millennium Celebration as an opportunity and moment of renaissance for Ethiopians both inside and out to change the negative image of the country by resolving or otherwise putting aside their political and ideological differences.
It is with this intention that other African countries and countries like India are joining the celebration of the Ethiopian Millennium as an African Millennium.
India has recently announced that it will join the celebration and will by then introduce Ethiopian cinemas in six major cities of India as part of strengthening bilateral relationship. India in return, during the celebration will also bring Indian music and dance crews to Ethiopia.