African carrier Ethiopian Airlines has secured fifth freedom rights from the Republic of Ireland to allow it to introduce a link between Addis Ababa and Los Angeles via Dublin. The new flight will launch on June 15, 2015 and will be operated on a three times weekly schedule using a Boeing 787 Dreamliner with a two hour stopover in the Irish capital.

Ethiopian Airlines has been exploring the expansion of its route network in the US and how it could establish a sustainable operation between East Africa and Los Angeles. The award of fifth freedom rights from Ireland will achieve this and means the Star Alliance member will be able to sell tickets on all sectors of the route including between Dublin and Los Angeles.

The new link will provide the first regular link between East Africa and Dublin and will mark the return of flights between the Irish capital and Los Angeles, a market last served by Aer Lingus in November 2008. This will strengthen Ireland’s connectivity to the west coast of the United States, with California a major market for Irish tourism.

Ethiopian Airlines Group Chief Executive Tewolde Gebremariam said the new service “would play a critical role in the expansion of trade, tourism, and investment between the fast-growing continent of Africa, the United States and Ireland” and by linking Africa to Ireland and Los Angeles, the new service would “facilitate mobility and connectivity for businesses and the large African diaspora community living on the west coast of the United States.”

The new service will also enhance Dublin Airport’s position as a growing hub for transatlantic flights with Los Angeles becoming Dublin Airport’s fourteenth direct destination in North America. The airport has significantly expanded its transatlantic network over the past three years and this new service will add a second west coast destination alongside the existing Dublin - San Francisco route.

Dublin was the seventh largest airport in Europe for transatlantic flights this summer and five of its 14 North American destinations will be served by more than one airline next year. “The United States is a key trading partner for Ireland and this new direct service will bring additional US business and leisure visitors to Ireland,” said Kevin Toland, chief executive, Dublin Airport Authority (DAA).

The route will also significantly enhance connectivity into Africa. Ethiopian Airlines is one of Africa’s leading airlines, serving 83 international destinations from its hub at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport. “This new service will reconnect Dublin with Los Angeles and also brings unrivalled connectivity into Africa, as Ethiopian Airlines has the largest number of African destinations of any airline,” added Toland.

According to our analysis, below, more than 100,000 bi-directional passengers a year fly between Dublin and destinations across Africa. Although there are sizeable flows are into North Africa and the popular leisure markets of Egypt and Morocco, the largest O&D markets are South Africa and Nigeria which accounted for 33.6 per cent and 15.8 per cent of the African demand in 2013, respectively.

The new Ethiopian Airlines service will be timed to offer the best range of possible onward connections in Africa, including such destinations as Johannesburg, Khartoum, Lagos, Nairobi, and Zanzibar where O&D demand is particularly strong.

Data provided by