ETHIOPIAN Airlines, the fastest growing airline in Africa, has become the strategic partner of the new Malawian Air with 49 percent equity shareholding. The remaining 51 percent of the shares will be held by the Malawian government and Malawian private investors. The shareholder agreement for Malawi Airlines was signed between Dr. Cornelius Mwalwanda, Deputy Minister of Finance of the Republic of Malawi and Ato Tewolde Gebremariam, Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian in Lilongwe recently. The new partnership with Malawi Airlines is part of Ethiopian Vision 2025 strategic roadmap of setting up multiple hubs in Africa. Thru this strategic partnership with Malawian Air, Lilongwe will become Ethiopian third hub on the continent after its main hub in Addis Ababa and its West Africa in Lomé. “This new agreement we have just signed with the government of Malawi is a model for the type of African cooperation that is needed in the 21st century. It is a win-win partnership aimed at enabling the success of African aviation in a capital intensive, skill-driven and highly competitive industry.Today, Africa is booming and, with the economic growth of our continent, demand for air travel is also growing at a much faster pace than the global average. This growing demand and the uneven competition from foreign carriers, which currently dominate the African market, cannot be overcome by one single African airline. For indigenous African airlines to succeed and get their fare share of the market, partnerships between African airlines are a must,” said Gebremariam. Ethiopian Airlines is first and foremost a Pan-African airline, which has been serving Africa in good and bad times for close to seven decades bringing Africa together and closer to the world. “Thru this strategic partnership, Ethiopian and the newly formed Malawi Airlines will harmonize their flight schedules so as to provide seamless and best connectivity options for travelers within, to and from the Southern Africa region. The establishment of multiple hubs in Africa is an overarching strategy of our Vision 2025. We have participated in the establishment of a regional airline in West Africa, ASKY, which has been quite successful. I am confident that our new partnership with Malawi Airlines will also be successful and will greatly benefit the traveling public in the Southern Africa region,” he added. – SG
