■ MALAWI: Ethiopian's CFO Kassim Geressu appointed boss of Malawi Airlines.

Mr. Kassim Geressu, the Chief Financial Officer of Ethiopian Airlines (ET), has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the carrier's nascent Malawian venture, Malawi Airlines. Mr Geresu's appointment was confirmed by Tewolde Gebremariam in a press conference held in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, yesterday afternoon.

► ETHIOPIA: Ethiopian Airlines clarifies its 787 order plans in light of media mixup.

Ethiopian Airlines (ET) has moved to clarify various misleading international media reports regarding its 787-fleet ambitions. According to Ethiopian Television, it has been widely reported that the airline has an additional eight aircraft on order on top of the thirteen 787s it has currently signed up for, of which five have now been delivered. 

► ETHIOPIA: National Airways now eyeing a pair of ERJ135s for its fleet.

Ethiopian private airline, National Airways (7N) has reportedly abandoned previously announced plans to acquire and operate Fokker 50s and Embraer EMB-170s, and now has its sights set on Embraer ERJ-135s instead. 

■ SOMALIA: Ethiopian suspends Hargeisa, Berbera flights over impasse with Somaliland government.

Ethiopian Airlines (ET) has suspended its services to the Somalian towns of Berbera and Hargeisa owing to sub-standard infrastructure. Flights between Addis Ababa and the capital of Somaliland, Hargeisa, were only recently resumed after significant upgrade works to the airport's infrastructure. However, it has since emerged that the quality of work done to runway 06/24 has allegedly proven substandard resulting in Ethiopian suspending its flights.

■ ETHIOPIA: ECAA selects Thales' TopSky - Flight Plan to manage flight plan and aeronautical information interfaces.

The Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority (ECAA) has announced the selection of the Thales TopSky-ATC Flight Data Processing System (FDPS) component, TopSky–Flight Plan, to manage all critical flight plan and aeronautical information interfaces with internal and external systems as well as airline counterparties.

■ DUBAI: Emirates appoints Orhan Abbas as Senior VP for its Southern & Central Africa, Latin American Commercial operations.

Emirates (EK) has appointed Orhan Abbas its Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Latin America, Central and Southern Africa. In his new role he will oversee a number of markets, including South Africa, Angola, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Zambia, the Indian Ocean islands Mauritius and Seychelles, and Latin American markets Brazil and Argentina.

■ ETHIOPIA: More 787s for Ethiopian as Tewolde announces profits for FY2012/13 hit $140mln.

Despite the airliner's initial teething problems initial teeth problems and the grounding of one of its five B787-8s, (MSN 34744 | ET-AOP), at London Heathrow following a fire on-board, Ethiopian Airlines (ET) plans to add eight more of the aircraft to its fleet as part of its long term growth strategy dubbed Vision 2025.

► NIGERIA: Ethiopian Airlines now eyes a return to Kano as more carriers show interest.

With recent inauguration of 4x weekly flights from Addis Ababa to the south-eastern Nigerian city of Enugu, Ethiopian Airlines has now stated it plans to resume flights to Kano, suspended over ten years ago.

►► UNITED KINGDOM: Ethiopian Cargo to start weekly ops to East Midlands Airport.

[UPDATE SEPTEMBER 4] Ethiopian Airlines (ET) freight division, Ethiopian Airlines Cargo, will launch a once weekly dedicated cargo flight between Addis Ababa and East Midlands Airport, an airport in the East Midlands of England, effective September 1. Flights operate on board a B757-200F.

► ETHIOPIA: (Pic) Ethiopian Airlines in line for first B737-400F.

Ethiopian Airlines (ET) is set to dry-lease a former Brussels Airlines (SN) B737-400 (MSN 28493 | ET-AQV) from global leaser, the Aviation Capital Group, following its conversion into a B737-400(F) freighter. 

►► SOMALIA: Ethiopian Air Force Antonov AN12 crashes on landing in Mogadishu; 4 dead.

[UPDATE AUGUST 15] On Friday, August 9, an Ethiopian Air Force Antonov AN-12 military transport (MCN ? | 1513) crashed on landing at Mogadishu's Aden Adde International Airport killing four of the six persons aboard. The other two are said to have sustained serious injuries and are recovering at a Mogadishu hospital run by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), a regional peacekeeping force.

► ETHIOPIA: Russian Mil-8 chopper on WFP ferry flight to Juba crashes near Debre Zeyit; no casualties.

A Russian Mil Mi-8MTV (MSN 95642 | RA-25497) helicopter leased from Krasnodar-based firm, PANH Helicopters, by the United Nations World Food Program (UNWFP) enroute to South Sudan, on the morning of Wednesday 31 July, crashed in a locality called Chefe Donsa, near the town of Debre Zeyit, about 50 km outside Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. All four occupants onboard survived though three sustained serious injuries.

● IATA: Strong domestic pax traffic in Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia & the DRC buoys African growth as cargo ekes up in June.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released its June passenger demand figures showing year-on-year global growth of 6.0%. Africa saw a growth of 11.2% with African airlines benefiting from strong domestic economic growth in key markets such as Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. While global air freight demand figures showed a 1.2% year-on-year expansion, Africa's figures showed growth in June of 2.4% on June 2012.

■ ETHIOPIA: Australia, Ethiopia sign Bilateral Air Services Agreement.

Ethiopia and Australia have reportedly signed a Bilateral Air Services Agreement in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. Present at the signing ceremony last week was the Director General of the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority (ECAA), Colonel Wesenyeleh Hunegnaw, and the Australian Ambassador to Ethiopia, Ms Lisa Filipetto.

► ZIMBABWE: Lufthansa not coming back to Harare any time soon: Dünhaupt

German carrier, Lufthansa (LH), will not be returning to the Zimbabwean capital, Harare, any time soon,  group communications director for Africa, Mr Aage Dünhaupt, has said, but would instead continue to maintain a presence in the market via a codeshare with its Star Alliance partner South African Airways' (SA) multiple daily Johannesburg - Harare flights.

►► ETHIOPIA: Ethiopian Airlines maintains Brussels, Paris from December; drops Munich plans.

[UPDATE 27 AUGUST] Ethiopian Airlines (ET) will tentatively begin serving Stockholm via Munich, Germany daily effective December 1. Flights will operate using a Boeing 757. Also from December 1, Brussels will be dropped from the Ethiopian national carrier's network leaving Paris CDG to be operated direct.

► ETHIOPIA: Ethiopian Q400 reportedly suffers engine problems on finals into Axum; makes a safe landing.

An Ethiopian Airlines (ET) Bombardier Q400 operating a domestic flight ET128 from Addis Ababa to Axum, Ethiopia, on Wednesday, July 17, reportedly suffered engine problems on its port side shortly before touchdown at Axum's Emperor Yohannes IV Airport.

■ VIETNAM: Ethiopia, Vietnam sign Bilateral Air Services Agreement.

Ethiopia and Vietnam have now signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a Bilateral Air Services Agreement following talks between officials from the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority (ECAA) and the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (Cục Hàng không Dân dụng Việt Nam - CAAV) in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi, recently. According to a statement by the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority, the MoU was signed by Colonel Wossenyeleh Hunegnaw for the ECAA and by his Vietnamese counterpart, Vo Huy Cuong, after two days of discussions held between officials from 11-12  July 2013.

► NIGERIA: Ethiopian Airlines boosts Abuja to daily from late August.

Ethiopian Airlines (ET) will, from 27 August 2013, increase the frequency of its Addis Ababa – Abuja flights where overall service will increase from 5x weekly to daily. The new flight operates on Mondays and Thursdays on-board a Boeing 777-200LR.

►► PHILIPPINES: Ethiopian Airlines cancels planned Manila, Ho Chi Minh City routes; nixes Singapore.

[UPDATE 17 JULY] According to AirlineRoute, Ethiopian Airlines (ET) plans to adjust its East Asia operations from 18JUN13, with the tentative launch of 3 new destinations: Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), Manila (Philippines) and Seoul Incheon (South Korea).