Beginning humbly, Ethiopian Airlines (Ethiopian) has had more than 78 years of successful journey. Of course, Ethiopian is ageing beautifully. Ethiopian is now the leading Aviation Group in Africa. Over the decades, the airline has established itself as the leader in all facets of the aviation business: technology, leadership, network expansion and aviation mentoring. Ethiopian started its operation with five C-47 aircraft operating its debut fight to Cairo via Asmara on April 8, 1946. Ever since, it has been growing in leaps and bounds and continued to introduce cutting-edge aviation technology and systems.

As aviation technology leader, Ethiopian was a pioneer in ushering in new aviation technology into Africa including the first jet airplane as well as the first B767, B777-200LR, B787 Dreamliner, and 787-9 in the continent. Ethiopian also led the way in operating Africa's first Airbus A350 XWB. Currently, the airline has a fleet of more than 152 modern aircraft with an average fleet age of less than seven years; it has also more than 100 ultramodern aircraft on order. Living its motto of Bringing Africa Together and Beyond, Ethiopian has created Africa-wide and transcontinental air connectivity networks linking its main hub, Addis Ababa to the rest of the world.

The airline serves 136 international passenger and cargo destinations, including 63 African cities, with daily and multiple flights with a minimum layover in Addis. As a veteran carrier serving a vast intra-African network, Ethiopian flies to more destinations in the continent than any other airline.

In December 2011, Ethiopian took a giant leap forward in its successful journey by joining Star Alliance, the world's largest airline network.

Over the years, the multi-award-winning airline has received countless coveted accolades and recognitions for its excellence including Skytrax's Four-Star Airline Certification, Best Airline in Africa title for several years in a row, and Overall Excellence for Outstanding Crisis Leadership Award to mention but a few. Building on its continuous success, Ethiopian has achieved an average growth rate of 25 percent in the past decade. Having met its 15-year strategic plan, Vision 2025, ahead of time, Ethiopian has charted out a more ambitious strategic roadmap called Vision 2035 to further bolster its continuous growth.

Ethiopian's frequent flyers program ShebaMiles, avails passengers award tickets, upgrades to business class, access to all Star Alliance member airline executive lounges, additional free baggage allowance and many other privileges for accumulated mileages and based on tier levels. Join the program for free and start earning miles for your flights with Ethiopian Airlines, Star Alliance member airlines, partner airlines and for a variety of products and services offered by our program partners.