Sharjah Airport welcomes the first Ethiopian airlines flight in a milestone expansion toward Africa
As part of a significant expansion of its route network into Africa, Sharjah Airport has officially welcomed the first direct flight operated by Ethiopian Airlines on June 2, 2025—marking a new chapter in the airport's growing global connectivity. This step reflects Sharjah's rising status on the regional and international aviation map, as more global airlines choose the airport as a strategic operational hub linking the Middle East with the African continent.
The inaugural flight was welcomed in a reception attended by senior officials and representatives from both sides.
Ethiopian Airlines now operates four weekly flights between Addis Ababa Bole International Airport and Sharjah Airport on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, with return flights departing Sharjah on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, bound for Addis Ababa.
A Strategic Route Strengthening Trade and Investment Connectivity with Africa
H.E. Ali Salim Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah Airport Authority (SAA), emphasized that this strategic partnership with the national carrier of Ethiopia falls in line with the airport's ongoing efforts to expand its destination network and connect Sharjah with key emerging markets. He noted that this aligns with the growing demand for regional and international travel, fueled by the airport's ambitious expansion strategy and development projects aimed at increasing total passenger capacity to 25 million annually by the end of 2027.
He added: 'This new route with Ethiopian Airlines represents a qualitative step in reinforcing the airport's role as a vital air bridge that supports trade and investment flows between the UAE and African nations. We remain committed to delivering the highest standards of quality, efficiency, and service diversity, through the adoption of smart technologies and advanced digital systems. This enhances operational performance and sustainability, while ensuring a seamless, safe, and integrated travel experience—further strengthening Sharjah Airport's position as a distinguished regional hub.'
Boost investment, tourism, diplomatic and socioeconomic
Mr Mesfin Tasew, Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, stated: 'We are truly delighted to connect our passengers to an additional getaway in the UAE with our new flights to Sharjah. We have been connecting the UAE and Africa for nearly five decades now and the new service will help boost the investment, tourism, diplomatic and socioeconomic bonds between the two regions.'
An Integrated Service Ecosystem Supporting Airline and Partner Goals
Sharjah Airport Authority continues to enhance its offering to attract global airlines by providing a comprehensive service ecosystem tailored to meet the evolving needs and goals of aviation partners. These services align with best global practices in the aviation industry and reflect the latest airport technologies and systems.
Ethiopian Airlines—recognized as one of the leading carriers in Africa—operates flights to 142 international destinations for both passengers and cargo, and is known for its high operational efficiency and compliance with the highest global safety and quality standards.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Petrobras targets Africa for oil exploration region outside Brazil
Petrobras, the Brazilian state-run oil company, is setting its sights on Africa as its primary region for oil exploration activities outside its home country, reported Reuters, citing the company's CEO Magda Chambriard. She detailed the strategic intent to expand the company's presence in Africa, highlighting the welcoming approach from the Ivory Coast and interest from other African nations. The Ivory Coast has recently paved the way for Petrobras by offering priority access to nine exploratory offshore blocks. This gesture, described by Chambriard as rolling out the "red carpet", signifies a significant opportunity for the company to delve into deep and ultra-deep waters. Chambriard said: "We are experts in the eastern margin of Brazil. The correlation between Brazil and Africa is unequivocal, so we need to go to Africa." Nigeria, Angola and Namibia have also shown eagerness to collaborate with Petrobras, further cementing Africa's role in the company's global strategy. Petrobras' growing interest in international oil assets, particularly in Africa, comes as the company aims to augment its reserves amid environmental permit delays for new drilling projects off the coast of the Amazon rainforest. Moreover, Petrobras is looking to participate in an oil block auction in India in July as part of its broader exploratory ambitions. Under past leadership, Petrobras concentrated on Brazil's pre-salt fields, which are known for their high productivity. Now, Chambriard is tasked with balancing the economic aspirations of President Luiz Inacio Lula with the necessity of delivering investor returns and navigating the complexities of a global market with lower oil prices. Despite challenges in obtaining environmental permits for drilling in the Amazon's Foz do Amazonas region, Chambriard is optimistic about clearing the final hurdle for a permit by the second half of July. Petrobras has already initiated its plans in Africa, acquiring stakes in offshore oilfields in South Africa and São Tomé and Príncipe in 2023 and early 2024, respectively, with drilling expected to commence this year. Although Petrobras faced a setback when outbid by TotalEnergies for a share in Galp Energia's Mopane field discovery off Namibia's coast, Chambriard remains hopeful for future opportunities, stating: "We hope to be invited" to develop the field. "Petrobras targets Africa for oil exploration region outside Brazil" was originally created and published by Investment Monitor, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Wagner Group announces withdrawal from Mali
The Wagner mercenary group announced on June 6 that it was withdrawing its presence from Mali, ending its fight with rebel groups. "Mission accomplished. Private Military Company Wagner returns home," the group, founded by the late Yevgeny Prigozhin, announced on social media. Wagner mercenaries have been fighting alongside Malian government forces since 2021, in attempts to fend off Islamic insurgents. The group said that it was ending its presence as "all regional capitals have returned to the control of the legitimate government," providing little rationale for the group's exit from the war-torn nation. Wagner mercenaries and Malian soldiers have reportedly suffered heavy losses in their engagements with Tuareg-led rebels. The Russian mercenary group, known for its deployment in Ukraine and short-lived rebellion against the Kremlin in 2023, has a strong presence across the African continent, backing Russian business interests and Moscow-friendly regimes. The mercenaries have been particularly active in Mali since late 2021 and has been of perpetrating war crimes and widespread looting. In December 2024, Human Rights Watch accused Wagner mercenaries and Malian government forces of deliberately killing 32 civilians. The so-called "Africa Corps," under the command of Russia's Defense Ministry, who fought alongside Wagner mercenaries, will continue to have an active presence in Mali. Mali broke diplomatic ties with Ukraine over its alleged support of Tuareg-led rebels without providing any evidence of direct cooperation. The step was taken after comments by Andrii Yusov, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) spokesperson, about the rebels receiving "useful information, and not just that, which allowed them to carry out a successful military operation against Russian war criminals." Ukraine's Foreign Ministry later denied the country's involved with rebel groups. Read also: Ukraine war latest: Russia hits Ukraine with large-scale attack days after Operation Spiderweb; Ukraine targets Russian air bases in 'preemptive strike' We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Chicago Tribune
8 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
State Dept says current US visas from travel ban countries will not be revoked
WASHINGTON — The State Department instructed U.S. embassies and consulates on Friday not to revoke visas previously issued to people from 12 mainly African and Middle Eastern countries now under President Donald Trump's new travel ban, which goes into effect next week. In a cable sent to all U.S. diplomatic missions, the department said 'no action should be taken for issued visas which have already left the consular section' and that 'no visas issued prior to the effective date should be revoked pursuant to this proclamation.' However, visa applicants from affected countries whose applications have been approved but have not yet received their visas will be denied, according to the cable, which was signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. And, unless an applicant meets narrow criteria for an exemption to the ban, his or her application will be rejected starting on Monday. Still, the cable, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, suggests there should be no issue for current visa holders from the affected countries entering the United States after the restrictions take effect on June 9 at midnight ET. During Trump's first term, a hastily written executive order ordering the denial of entry to citizens of mainly Muslim countries created chaos at numerous airports and other ports of entry, prompting successful legal challenges and major revisions to the policy. The new proclamation, which Trump signed on Wednesday, appears designed to beat any court challenge by focusing on the visa application process. Rubio's cable says the only people who should be denied entry into the U.S. are those currently outside the United States who do not have a valid visa on the effective date. Despite Rubio's cable, physically entering the United States at a port of entry is not controlled by the State Department. It is up to the Department of Homeland Security and the discretion of individual Customs and Border Patrol agents to determine if a visa holder is admitted or turned away. The visa ban applies to people from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Other visa restrictions will apply to people from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. Some exceptions apply only for specific countries, like Afghanistan. Others are for most of the countries on the list, or are more general and unclear, like the policies for foreign visitors planning to come to the U.S. for the 2026 Word Cup and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, two of the events Trump has said he is excited to host. Rubio's cable said criteria for the exemptions under a national security waiver would be issued soon.
