According to a report reaching our desk, Africa’s largest carrier, Ethiopian Airlines, will begin flying to Freetown after an absence of 11 years. Starting on May 31, Ethiopian will operate thrice weekly flights from its Addis Ababa hub to Freetown. This marks the first time the airline will serve the Freetown airport.
The flights will utilize the 270-seat Boeing 787-8, Ethiopian’s smallest and most popular widebody aircraft, and will operate via Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, in both directions.
The flight schedule, all times local, is as follows:
- Addis Ababa to Ouagadougou: ET 943, departing at 10:50, arriving at 13:50 (6 hrs)
- Ouagadougou to Freetown: ET943, departing at 14:50, arriving at 17:20 (2 hours 30 minutes)
- Freetown to Ouagadougou: ET942, departing at 08:35, arriving at 10:50 (2 hours 15 minutes)
- Ouagadougu to Addis Ababa: ET942, departing At 11:50, arriving at 20:50 (6 hours)
It’s notable that Ethiopian Airlines will remain overnight in Freetown, with both aircraft and crew, a practice similar to some other markets in far West Africa. This overnight stay facilitates the airline’s arrival back in Addis Ababa in the middle of the evening, allowing passengers and freight to connect to Ethiopian’s extensive departure schedule of flights to Europe, North America, the Middle East, and Asia.
Booking data suggests that approximately 170,000 roundtrip passengers (466 daily) traveled to and from Freetown to these destinations in the past year.
