Ethiopian Airlines made history on Nov. 10, 2012, by becoming the first airline to commence the flight of Boeing 787 Dreamliner service to Canada. Flight number ETH 502 arrived to a foggy morning on Runway 05 at Toronto Lester B. Pearson International Airport just after sunrise, having travelled from Bole International Airport at Addis Ababa, via Leonardo da Vinci / Fiumicino International Airport.

Ethiopian inaugurated the Bole-Toronto route with Boeing 777-200LRs on July 17 2012. Toronto became the second destination served by Ethiopian in North America after Washington D.C. Both routes open Ethiopian’s Star Alliance partners to a direct connection to Africa, and Ethiopian to a plethora of route connections into North America on carriers such as Air Canada, United Airlines and US Airways. The Toronto route is the only direct connection between Toronto and Africa. Since Oct. 20, Ethiopian has operated 767-300s on the Toronto route to accommodate lower winter loads. The switch to the 787 has eliminated the need for a fuel stop in Rome on the return flight, ETH503, which is now flying direct to Addis Ababa, a 15+ hour flight.

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