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Now the airline is training Chinese crews for its China-bound flights, because "90 percent of passengers flying to China don't speak English"/XINHUA-File

Kenya

Ethiopian Airlines targets Asia with new Chinese crew

– Junction of Africa and Asia –

At the Ethiopian Airlines training centre, Africa’s sole centre to boast a Boeing 787 simulator, there are pilots, technicians and flight crew of 49 nationalities.

The country has come a long way from the global headlines generated by Ethiopia’s 1984 famine, experiencing near-double-digit economic growth and huge infrastructure investment that have made it one of Africa’s top-performing economies and a magnet for foreign investment.

Ethiopian now boasts the largest fleet in Africa, with 77 aircraft. It has grown rapidly, acquiring 32 new planes since 2010.

With six million passengers in 2014, it aims to surpass other major African airlines such as EgyptAir and South African Airways – which count seven million passengers.

Gebremariam said he wants to make Ethiopian Airlines the primary carrier between Africa and Asia.

“We’re the best point of entry for the continent,” Gebremariam said. “Addis is situated at the junction point between the emerging economies of Africa and Asia.”

In addition to its 91 international destinations, the company hopes to add Jakarta and Ho Chi Minh City in the next year. It also wants Yaounde on its list of destinations in Africa.

“Today, 80 percent of air traffic in Africa is controlled by non-African companies,” Ethiopian’s chief executive said.

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“The market is unbalanced. We want to change that.”

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