With their second Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner (MCN: 34746 | ET-AOR) now due on 26 September 2012, Ethiopian Airlines (ET) have announced a delay in their inaugural Addis Ababa - Washington DC, USA scheduled service, from 20 September 2012, to 1 October 2012.
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| Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787 in Harare, Zimbabwe (HarareAirport) |
As a consequence, the Ethiopian carrier will extend its Boeing 787 operation to Africa and Europe until the end of September 2012, with Stockholm (via Cairo), Johannesburg, Kilimanjaro and Mombasa all set for an extra visit from the aircraft. (See this post for a complete run down of the flights).
As an indirect consequence, Guangzhou, China's service will also see an extension of its current Boeing 767 operation until 30 September 2012 with a Boeing 777-200LR to operate this route from 01 October 2012 instead of 21 September 2012.
[UPDATE 20 SEPTEMBER 2012] As per the 20 September 2012 GDS timetable and inventory display, Ethiopian Airlines has further revised its planned Boeing 787 Operation on its Addis Ababa – Washington Dulles route. The debut flight is now scheduled on 23 September 2012, followed by 25 September 2012 and 29 September 2012.
From 01 October 2012, the airline operates the Boeing 787 aircraft on daily basis. Schedule:
Ethiopian Airlines: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - Washington DC, USA
- ET500 ADD2215 – 0325+1FCO0425+1 – 0840+1IAD 788 | 1234567
- ET501 IAD1115 – 0745+1ADD 788 | 1234567