(Peter Shaw-Smith, AINOnline). For Ethiopian Airlines, winning a reputation as a world-class airline hasn’t come easy in a continent not known for its commitment to service or stellar safety record. Seemingly against all odds, it has managed to do just that, all the while expanding its fleet to 48 aircraft and its route network to 83 international and domestic destinations. With 43 airplanes on firm order, Ethiopian Airlines has laid a foundation that might indeed make it the continent’s flag carrier to watch in the next decade.

CEO Tewolde GebreMariam eyes the Brazil-China axis as a seam of emerging market growth that will serve the airline well. “If you draw a line between China, India, Africa and Brazil, and you are located in the middle of that, these are the regions that [enjoy] really fast GDP growth as emerging markets,” he said. “We are looking for fast growth in the BRIC region.”

GebreMariam holds no illusions about the difficulties facing his airline in today’s environment, however. According to CEO Tewolde one of the most difficult challenges Ethiopia Airlines facing are profitability.  “On the supply side, the oil price is going up and staying at its highest level for a long period of time. On the demand side, we have excess capacity. It’s very common now to se airlines flying to destinations in half-empty airplanes.” said Ethiopian Airlines boss.

Still, the airline’s fleet has grown to become the envy of its neighbors. It recently took delivery of five Boeing 777-200LRs, and it holds orders for 12 Airbus A350-900s and 10 Boeing 787s, putting it well ahead of several “developed world” players. “We are expecting two of the 10 Dreamliners to be delivered before the end of 2012; five of them will be delivered by the end of 2013,” said GebreMariam.

Founded in 1945, the airline is 100-percent government-owned and based at Bole International Airport in the capital, Addis Ababa. It serves 66 international destinations, 41 of them in Africa, seven in Europe and 17 in the Middle East and Asia. At the moment Washington D.C. accounts for its sole Americas destination. But, recently Ethiopian Airlines added Toronto to its North American destination with a commencement date of 16 July 2012.  The airline also operates a 24-route cargo network.

Meanwhile, with eight Boeing 737-800s and five Bombardier Q400s on order, and five 737-700NGs, six 737-800s and eight Bombardier Q400s already in the fleet, domestic and regional business stands as a growing priority. “There are 18 airports in Ethiopia, 14 of them asphalt,” said GebreMariam. “We have plans to link regional capitals with neighboring countries like Sudan, Kenya and Djibouti.”

About Ethiopian Airlines

Ethiopian Airlines, the fastest growing airline in Africa, made its maiden international flight to Cairo in 1946 and now the Airline provides dependable services to 65 international destinations spanning four continents.

Ethiopian is proud to be a Star Alliance Member. The Star Alliance network is the leading global airline network offering customers convenient worldwide reach and a smoother travel experience. The Star Alliance network offers more than 20,000 daily flights to 1,293 airports in 190 countries.

Ethiopian is a multi-award winner for its commitment and contributions towards the development and growth of the African aviation industry and in recognition of its distinguished long-haul operations enhanced by the introduction of new routes and products. Recently, Ethiopian won Gold in the African Airline of the Year 2011/2012 Awards organized by the African Aviation News Portal. Ethiopian also received the 2011 AFRAA award for being consistently profitable over the years and has won the "AFRICAN CARGO AIRLINE OF THE YEAR 2011 Award” for its excellence in air cargo. Ethiopian also won the NEPAD Transport Infrastructure Excellence Awards 2009 and "the Airline of the Year 2009 Award" from the African Airlines Association (AFRAA).