PARIS (Reuters) – Ethiopian Airlines is setting a new target of sales of “at least” $1.5 billion by 2015 after coming close to its achieving its 2010 aim of $1 billion sales this year, chief executive Girma Wake told Reuters on Thursday.
The airline is expanding even as its counterparts in more developed regions {www:struggle} to cope with the aftermath of a recent spike in oil prices, and the effects of a slowdown on business and leisure travel.
The state-owned carrier, which operates 27 aircraft on routes within Africa and to European, Asian, Middle Eastern and North American destinations, plans to expand its fleet to 45 aircraft by 2015.
Wake said the airline is considering ordering more Boeing Co. 787 aircraft, or A350 XWB aircraft made by EADS unit Airbus to supplement existing outstanding orders.
“We’re discussing that with Airbus”, he said.
It already has 10 Boeing Co . 787 aircraft on order, the first of which is now due to be delivered in December 2009, after supply chain problems delayed the programme by at least 16 months.
Wake, speaking on the sidelines of an aviation conference in Paris, said the airline wants to serve 75 destinations by 2015. It currently serves 53 destinations and plans to have 60 by 2010.
The global financial {www:crisis} may have a temporary negative effect on business, as tourists think twice before booking holidays, Wake said.
However, he added that “trade-led traffic and movement within Africa will continue – Africa is a vast continent.”
The airline, which transported 2.5 million passengers in 2007/08 and thereby almost achieved its 2010 target of 3 million, now hopes to carry 5 million passengers in 2015, Wake said.
Ethiopian Airlines posted full-year sales of 9.2 billion birr ($941 million) for 2007/08.
(Reporting by Helen Massy-Beresford; Editing by Hans Peters)
QUNICY, FLORIDA – A tip from the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office helped Quincy police arrest two suspects in the Oct. 8 shooting of a local businessman.
Lewlis Telsusca, 35, and Tamika Reese, 21, were arrested Tuesday in connection to the robbery of the BP gas station at 504 W. Jefferson St. in Quincy. BP manager Wondwossen Gizaw, an immigrant from Ethiopia, was shot three times in the incident.
The incident involved three suspects wearing black clothes and red gloves.
Quincy Police Chief Ferman Richardson said Gadsden County deputies were investigating a separate case when they received a tip that led to the arrests.
The two are being held in Gadsden County Jail without bail.
The third suspect, whom Richardson said was the getaway driver, has not been located.
“We’re really right now hoping they’ll give us some information,” he said.
Richardson said the getaway car, a blue Mercury Grand Marquis, was found Oct. 13 at Cascade Trailer Park in Tallahassee.
Anyone with information should contact the Quincy Police Department at (850) 627-7111 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 574-8477.
Kenyan teams continued with their winning streak in the second day of the Africa Zone Five basketball championships in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
National men’s champions KCB Lions narrowly trounced Ethiopia’s Marine 71-69 after a 34-27 lead at half time.
KCB beat hosts Etho- Investment 89-60 in their opening match on Tuesday.
KPA who are the reigning women’s national champions also recorded their second {www:win} in the tournament after a 57-55 win over APR of Rwanda.
KPA were leading by 40-28 points at the breather.
KPA will take on Etho-Investments of Ethiopia in their third match Thursday while the other Kenyan representatives USIU will {www:play} Uganda’s KCC in the women’s fixtures.
KCB Lions will face APR of Rwanda in the men’s matches.
Ethiopian Prime Minister dictator Meles Zenawi has reshuffled his 15-member cabinet, including key ministries of Defence, Justice and Agriculture.
Zenawi, who returned on Wednesday from an Inter-Governmental Summit in Nairobi, appointed nine new ministers and presented them to Ethiopian parliament on Thursday.
He has appointed Siraj Fergesa, former Federal Affairs Minister, as the new Defence Minister. The position had remained vacant since June when former Defense Minister Kuma Demeksa became Mayor of Addis Ababa.
Information Minister Berhan Hailu now becomes Justice Minister. No replacement was announced for the ministry. The Public Organization Advisor to the Prime Minister Haile-Maraim Desalegn is the new Government Whip.
Former Minister of State for Health, Dr. Shiferaw Tekle-Mariam,was appointed Federal Affairs Minister while Tefera Deribew becomes Agriculture and Rural Development Minister. He replaces Deputy PM Addisu Legesse.
Deputy Chief of the Amhara State Administration, Demeke Mekonnen, is the new Education Minister, replacing Sintayehu Woldemickael.
The Transport and Communication Minister Junedin Sado has been moved to the Science and Technology Ministry.
Diriba Kuma is the new Transport and Communication Minister and Muferiat Kamil is the Women Affairs Minister.
Addressing the Ethiopian parliament, Mr Zenawi said poor performance was the main reason for the reshuffle.
He expressed hope that the appointees would manage to register a good result by discharging the responsibilities entrusted to them.
NAIROBI, KENYA – Somali Prime Minister Nur Hasan Hussein (Nur Adde) has told some Somali MPs that the Ethiopian government Woyanne was causing trouble for the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia (TFG)
The prime minister issued this remarks following a meeting with the foreign ministers of IGAD (Inter-Governmental Authority for development) chaired by Ethiopia TPLF.
The premier did not explain the Ethiopian Woyanne’s plans and the way they are causing problem between (leaders) of the TFG, but he said will use the parliament to face this issue.
The MPs who received the information from Nur Adde told Mareeg website that the premier appeared to have been discouraged by the meeting between the TFG and IGAD foreign ministers.
Reports also indicate that the premier held a meeting with his advisers over Ethiopian Woyanne’s plans but Mareeg did not get the details of what was discussed in the meeting.
According to informed sources, Ethiopia Woyanne accused some of the leaders of the TFG of violating the interim Charter and being against restoration of peace in Somalia.
Any way, the issues that will be discussed in the summit are not clear and no body can guess its outcome, but it seems that it touched some very sensitive issues
