Ethiopian Airlines has announced that it will operate fifth-freedom flights between Geneva and Manchester.
Starting 30th October 2022, Ethiopian Airlines will operate 4-flights-a-week between Genève Aéroport and Manchester Airport. This will be a continuation of the flight originating from Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, meaning that the airline will operate this flight as Addis Ababa-Geneva-Manchester-Geneva-Addis Ababa.
The route will operate with the following schedule:
- Addis Ababa-Geneva
- Departure time: 01:15
- Arrival time: 06:15
- Flight time: 7 hours
- Flight number: ET728
- Frequency: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Geneva-Manchester
- Departure time: 07:15
- Arrival time: 08:05
- Flight time: 1 hour and 50 minutes
- Flight number: ET728
- Frequency: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Manchester-Geneva
- Departure time: 18:50
- Arrival time: 21:40
- Flight time: 1 hour and 50 minutes
- Flight number: ET729
- Frequency: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Geneva-Addis Ababa
- Departure time: 22:40
- Arrival time: 07:30 (the next day)
- Flight time: 7 hours
- Flight number: ET729
- Frequency: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays
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These flights will be operated by Ethiopian Airlines’ Boeing B787-9 Dreamliners. The airline’s B787-9s features 30 lie-flat Business Class seats and 285 standard Economy Class seats.
Ethiopian Airlines has obtained fifth-freedom rights for flights between Geneva and Manchester. This means that passengers can book flights solely between Geneva, Switzerland and Manchester, England.
Fifth-freedom flights are those when an airline is allowed to carry passengers between two foreign countries outside its home country under the condition that the flight originates or terminates in its home country. In this case, the flight originates in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Prior to the pandemic, Ethiopian used to operate a 4-weekly service between Addis Ababa and Manchester via Brussels. After commencing flights in December 2018, the airline planned to make Addis Ababa-Manchester a non-stop flight in July 2020, but its plans were shelved due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Featured image by Wikimedia Commons
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