I love Africa. The smells, the vibrancy and the people have captured my heart since I lived there as a child. African aviation, therefore definitely absorbs my interest and attention from the days I used to fly Nigeria Airways (now defunct). Back then East African Airways flew to Uganda and Kenya from many of the airports I travelled through and I wondered at this airline’s livery and slogan: “Fly among friends“. Sadly they collapsed in 1977 with debts of $US120million to be replaced by three airlines; one of which is Kenya Airways. These days that loss would…
Addis Ababa
Tag Archives for Addis Ababa.
Left & right: 7 tips for Safe Road Crossing
I measure how successful a pedestrian you are by your ability to handle crossing roads in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam! Faced with multiple lanes filled with cars, bikes, motorbikes, buses and scooters, weaving in and out of lanes, I have seen people freeze with fear. I have escorted people across these roads while they quietly whimper with fear! In many cities, pedestrian crossings and traffic signals mean nothing when pedestrians are involved! It is a serious issue for travellers, however. A UK study found that one fifth of UK road deaths involved pedestrians. 61 per…
Ethiopian Passengers leave plane & are searched
Passengers from the hijacked Ethiopian Airlines flight 702 which landed in Geneva, have disembarked the plane which has been parked at the end of runway 05, away from the airport’s terminal building. They were searched by the police as they disembarked the aircraft. The passengers then boarded buses near the plane. There were approximately 200 passengers on the hijacked flight. Swiss police continue to advise that there was a single hijacker who has been arrested. There are still no further details on motive and hijacker identity despite earlier rumours. There will be a Press Conference…
Ethiopian Hijacker arrested- Airport closed-All safe
Ethiopian Airlines are reporting all passengers and crew are safe at Geneva Airport. Associated Press announced that the hijacker of the plane has been arrested. Police spokesman Jean-Philippe Brandt told The Associated Press that “the situation is under control” Geneva airport is fermé (closed) until 9 a.m local time (8am GMT, 3am US EST) according to the airport website. There will be a Press Conference at that time. Flights bound for Geneva have been cancelled or diverted as a result. The reason for the hijacking is unclear, although unconfirmed reports suggest that some of those on board the aircraft may have been…
Ethiopian Airlines Hijack? [updated]
Confession: I am less scared of crashing inside a plane than I am worried I may be a hijack victim. So my heart goes out to 200 passengers today. News sources are reporting that Ethiopian Airlines Flight 702, a Boeing 767-300 (registration: ET- AMF) was hijacked over Sudan. Social media posts suggested that the plane’s transponder began squawking”7500″. Flight 702 departed from Addis Ababa at 00:30 (local time) and had been scheduled to arrive in Rome (FCO) at 04:40 (local time). The flight was scheduled to fly on to Milan (MXP) but that segment has…
The 787 heads to Ethiopia
This one snuck up on me. Ethiopian Airlines will take delivery of its first 787 on Tuesday 14th August (next Tuesday). A crew will fly the new plane from Washington, D.C. to Addis Ababa on Thursday, August 16, 2012. The plane’s maiden flight the following weekend dubbed “The Dream Tour,” will be on August 18, 2012, with a sightseeing flight to Mount Kilimanjaro for around 270 invited guests, consisting of Ministers, Ambassadors, other VIPs, Ethiopian ShebaMiles [Frequent Flyer] Gold Members and media. Jealous! The first Ethiopian Dreamliner conducted its first test flight on Monday, July 9,…
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