Ethiopian Airlines recently met with a high-level delegation from Denver, Colorado, led by Michael B. Hancock, the Mayor of the City and County of Denver.
The delegation included executives from Denver International Airport, the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, and other city officials. The team visited Ethiopian’s state-of-the-art facilities and held productive discussions with the Ethiopian Airlines Group’s Chairman of the Board, Mr. Girma Wake, Group CEO Mr. Mesfin Tasew, and other members of Ethiopian’s executive management.
During the meeting, Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Mr. Mesfin Tasew expressed his excitement about the visit from Denver, “We are excited to welcome the high-level delegation from Denver, Colorado to the Ethiopian Airlines headquarters.” He added, “The city of Denver is another potential market in the United States for our airline. We will be delighted to add the city to our global network in the near future after making all the necessary plans and preparations.”
According to data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), about 305,800 Ethiopians reside in the United States, with major communities in California, Virginia, Maryland, Minnesota, Texas, and Colorado, the latter of which has 8% of the Ethiopian residents in the United States. Discussions with the delegation focused on strengthening bilateral agreements and establishing an air link between Addis Ababa and Denver.
Ethiopian Airlines currently offers service in the United States to New York (JFK), Newark (EWR), Washington – Dulles (IAD), Chicago O’Hare (ORD), and soon Atlanta (ATL), and by June of this year, the airline will be the main carrier between North America and Africa.
Denver International Airport (DEN) was the third busiest airport in the United States in 2022 and the main domestic hub for United, an alliance partner of Ethiopian Airlines. In recent years, DEN has increased its international offerings with new routes and the arrival of new carriers, connecting Colorado to multiple destinations in Canada, Mexico, Central America, Europe, and the Caribbean.
Zemedeneh Negatu, Global President of Fairfax Africa Fund, was also in attendance at the meeting and stated, “Today I had the pleasure of speaking with a US business delegation led by the Mayor of Denver, Colorado, Michael Hancock. They discussed opportunities for US investors in Ethiopia, flights between DEN (the third busiest in the US) and ADD (Africa’s largest international gateway).”
As Ethiopian Airlines expands its presence in the United States, the addition of Denver to its global network is a promising possibility. The airline’s meeting with the delegation from Denver marks a positive step towards the establishment of a new air link between Ethiopia and the United States.
