Addis Abab (Halbeeg) – Ethiopia’s national carrier will resume flights to Eritrea for the first time in decades, Ethiopian Prime minister confirmed.
The first Ethiopian commercial airline flights will touch down at the airports of Ethiopia’s long-time foe, Eritrea in September this year.
Following talks with an Eritrean delegation aimed at ending a border conflict between the two countries, Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopian Prime minister said Ethiopian Airlines will restart flights to Eritrea.
“Ethiopian Airlines get ready because soon you will start going to Eritrea and coming back,” Ahmed said during a state dinner for Eritrean delegates in Addis Ababa.
The prime minister also hinted that the two countries will restart tourism sector.
“For Ethiopians who have missed going for a stroll in Massawa [a port city in Eritrea], I call on you to get ready as Ethiopian airlines will start services there soon,” Ahmed said.
The 41-year-old reformist urged both nationals of Ethiopia and Eritrea to bury the hatchet and prepare for long-term friendship.
“Let us not transfer to our children hatred and holding grudges,” he said.
Ethiopian Airlines Chief Executive officer Tewolde Gebre Mariam said the flights to Asmara will be reintroduced as soon as the formalities are completed.
He also told artists to get ready to celebrate the Ethiopian New Year in Eritrea’s Asmara.
The Ethiopian calendar sets September 11 as the 1st day of the New Year which the country hosts huge celebrations to mark the day.
Ethiopian Airlines suspended its flights to Eriteria in 1998 when conflict erupted between the two nations over their disputed border.
The East African countries fought a bloody border war in 1998 that left more than 80,000 people dead and hundreds of thousands displaced.
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