Ethiopian Airlines resumes operations in Pakistan after a quarter-century break on May 9. At a press conference held at the Karachi Press Club, the Ethiopian Ambassador to Pakistan, Jemal Beker Abdulla, and Honorary Consul General Ibrahim Khalid Tawab disclosed the news.
A high-level delegation, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of State, Misganu Arega, and Minister of Technology, already arrived in Karachi on the inaugural flight at 0500 hours on Tuesday on a three-day visit. According to Ambassador Abdulla, the arrival of the delegation demonstrates Ethiopia’s commitment to strengthening bilateral relations with Pakistan.
Currently, bilateral trade between Pakistan and Ethiopia is approximately $78 million, with the aim of increasing it to $200 million by year-end. In February, they signed a bilateral trade agreement and Memorandums of Understanding with the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI).
The Ethiopian embassy will begin operations by May 10, 2023. Abdulla expressed his appreciation for the support of CM Sindh and had a productive meeting with CM Murad Ali Shah at CM House to discuss arrangements for the high-level delegation’s arrival in Karachi and their subsequent political and economic engagements in Karachi, according to Business Recorder.
Direct connectivity between Ethiopia and Pakistan will benefit the Pakistani business community by providing access to Ethiopia and the entire African continent. Ethiopian Airlines offers connectivity to 160 destinations with the best cargo service at economical fares.
In the second phase, the airline plans to expand its wings to Lahore and Islamabad and is working closely with Pakistani authorities, including the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), to explore business opportunities. Jemal stated that Pakistani businesses will have direct access to Ethiopia’s market of over 120 million people, with vast opportunities in the pharmaceutical, textile, surgical equipment, and technology sectors.
Honorary Consul General Ibrahim Khalid Tawab said Ethiopian Airlines would operate four weekly flights to Karachi from Addis Ababa. He also highlighted untapped business opportunities for Pakistani business people, stating that a 70-member delegation of Pakistani business people recently visited Addis Ababa, with 35 members already in the transactional phase.
Ambassador Jemal Beker took to Twitter to thank the media and the Karachi Press Club for their extensive coverage of the event after the press conference. He expressed his gratitude for their support in promoting bilateral and multilateral cooperation between Ethiopia and Pakistan.
Special gratitude for media persons & Karachi Press Club for giving massive coverage to my press conference on inauguration of Ethiopian Airlines & high level official business delegations arriving in 🇵🇰 tomorrow for advancing bilateral, multilateral cooperation between 🇪🇹🇵🇰 pic.twitter.com/fgxwjREDvs
— Ambassador Jemal Beker (@JemalBeker1) May 8, 2023
