Ethiopian Airlines returns to Saudi Arabia, resumes scheduled flights to India
Several countries around the world, such as Saudi Arabia and India, are gradually easing travel restrictions. This is welcomed by the airlines.
Ethiopian Airlines is back in Saudi Arabia. Since 15 March, the Ethiopian flag carrier has resumed flights to Jeddah and Riyadh.
To the port and commercial city of Jeddah, Ethiopian Airlines now offers four flights per week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday). The route is operated without competition by Boeing 787. The Addis Ababa - Riyadh route is also offered as a monopoly four times a week (Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday) with Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
Ethiopian Airlines' return to the Gulf country follows the lifting of the ban on flights to and from 17 African and Asian countries (including Ethiopia) by the Saudi authorities on 5 March, following a steady decline in new cases of Covid-19.
Ethiopian Airlines is also making a comeback to its three Indian routes. From 26 March, the airline will resume its regular flights to Mumbai and New Delhi from Addis Ababa Airport. The following day, it will resume its Bangalore route with three rotations per week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Almost two years after the suspension of international travel due to the Covid-19 pandemic, India has decided to lift the ban from this week. In the process, the Asian giant has reinstated all categories of tourist visas (electronic and paper) for foreign nationals. All such visas had been suspended in March 2020, when scheduled international flights were halted.
