Air Arabia announced today the launch of its new non-stop flights to Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia. Starting January 30, the new service will connect Sharjah International Airport with Addis Ababa Bole International Airport with a frequency of three times a week.
This latest addition to the airline’s growing network underscores its commitment to expanding connectivity between the UAE and Africa, facilitating increased opportunities for tourism, trade and investment.
Africa network expands
Air Arabia will fly to and from Ethiopia’s capital every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
“This new route reflects Air Arabia’s commitment to enhancing connectivity and fostering economic and cultural ties between the UAE and Ethiopia. By expanding our destinations from Sharjah, we aim to boost trade and tourism while continuing to offer affordable and convenient travel options to our customers,” stated Adel Al Ali, group CEO, Air Arabia.
Air Arabia operates a modern fleet of 81 Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft, the most modern and best-selling single-aisle aircraft in the world. Offering passengers a value-added onboard experience, the aircraft is equipped with SkyTime, free in-flight streaming, and SkyCafe, an onboard catering service at affordable prices.
In addition, Air Arabia offers Air Rewards, an innovative and generous loyalty program through which passengers can earn, transfer and spend points. In late 2024, the airline celebrated the launch of a new route from Ras Al Khaimah to Tashkent, Uzbekistan. With the addition of the new route to Tashkent, Air Arabia now takes off from Ras Al Khaimah to eight destinations, including Cairo, Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Jeddah, Calicut and Moscow.
Read: UAE’s aviation sector sets historic record with over 1 million air movements in 2024
UAE expands Africa connectivity
In addition to the latest Air Arabia flights to Ethiopia, the UAE’s airlines have continued to bolster their connection with Africa. In October 2024, Emirates Airlines announced a significant expansion to its Africa network with the introduction of additional flights to Entebbe, Uganda; Addis Ababa in Ethiopia; and Johannesburg, South Africa.
Since the inaugural flight to Cairo as its first African destination in 1986, Emirates has progressively grown its presence on the continent and now serves 20 passenger and cargo gateways, boosting Africa’s connectivity and air transport market development.
Etihad Airways is also gearing up to double its Africa network in 2025, announcing three new routes in the past three months and adding more destinations and frequencies to its services. Currently, the airline serves four cities with 39 frequencies a week. By next summer, this will increase to 50 frequencies a week in six cities, and by this time next year, Etihad Airways will reach 57 frequencies a week in eight cities across Africa.
On December 15, the airline resumed flights to Nairobi, Kenya, and will launch new routes to Tunis, Tunisia; Algiers, Algeria; and Al Alamein, Egypt this year.
