Ethiopian airlines extend flights to New York

Africa’s leading carrier, Ethiopian Airlines, has upped the competition for the US market, with the announcement in february 2019 that it will introduce three-times-a-week flights to the John F Kennedy International Airport in New York, adding to its flights to the city’s Newark International Airport.

The announcement may not come as good news to the region’s other airlines, which are also looking to serve the same market.

Ethiopian is restructuring its network, opening new destinations, adding frequencies and shifting gateways as it seeks to offer passengers travelling between Africa and the US the best possible connectivity and the shortest routes.

This, coming barely two months after Kenya Airways started its daily direct flights to JFK Airport, and a few months before Rwandan flag carrier RwandAir launches its flights, may further upset these carriers’ plans.

The New York route for KQ has also come with its own set of challenges, which saw it announce in December 2018 its intention to scale down to five flights a week, starting mid January, a decision that was attributed to low demand during the winter season.

The airline also rescheduled flights for the period covering November 2018 to March 2019.