Ethiopian Airlines acquires 5th freedom rights to fly passengers between Geneva and Manchester
Ethiopian Airlines will effective next winter operate a route from Addis Ababa to Manchester via Geneva by Boeing 787-9.
Ethiopian, the continent’s largest airline received the authorization to take passengers between the two European cities, through the so-called fifth freedom, which means that an airline is allowed to carry passengers between two foreign countries outside its home country under the condition that the flight originates or terminates in its home country.
The carrier’s widebody fleet consists of 19 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner and 9 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner jets, along with 10 Boeing 777 and three Boeing 767 aircraft.
The airline looks set to deploy its Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet on this route. An Ethiopian 787-9 offers capacity for 315 passengers – 30 in business class and 285 in economy – while its 787-8 fleet seats 270 – 24 in business and 246 in economy.
This means passengers can book the GVA-MAN-GVA leg of the flight as a standalone fare. Ethiopian’s service between Geneva and Manchester will be a brief two-hour add-on to its approximately seven-hour flight between Geneva and Addis Ababa.
ICAO defines fifth freedom rights as “The right or privilege, in respect of scheduled International air services, granted by one State to another State to put down and to take on, in the territory of the first State, traffic coming from or destined to a third State.”
Fifth freedom flights can give travelers more exciting options when booking flights. For example, passengers making the short two-hour hop between Manchester and Geneva would not ordinarily be able to fly this route onboard a widebody like a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, usually reserved for long-haul flights.
Ethiopian Airlines’ European network boasts over a dozen destinations, many of which involve stopping en route at another European airport. The airline currently serves 15 European destinations, with only London Heathrow, Frankfurt and Paris Charles de Gaulle operated as non-stops from Addis Ababa.
