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Ethiopian Airlines, earlier this week, commenced its services to Lyon, France, via Geneva, Switzerland, adding to the airline’s expanding European network. However, an interesting aspect of this itinerary is the fact that the airline’s service between Geneva and Lyon is the shortest Airbus A350-900 operation in Europe.
Although the airline does not have traffic rights on the intra-European leg of its services, the flight in question covers a mere 53 nautical miles (98 km) and is blocked at 45 minutes. Ethiopian Airlines is well known for successfully operating several fifth-freedom routes and one-stop services to create a global network.
Ethiopian Adds One-Stop Service To Lyon
It is worth noting that Lyon Airport (LYS) is the airline’s new destination in Europe. This has been added as a tag to the airline’s existing service to Geneva Airport (GVA). The one-stop service to Lyon commenced on July 2, replacing the airline’s add-on service to Brussels, Belgium, from Geneva. The service will be operated three times weekly, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
The airline will be primarily utilizing its fleet of Airbus A350-900 for these services. However, for the remainder of the month, the airline will be deploying the Boeing 787-9 on the route before reverting to the A350 in August. As per the airline’s website, the following is the itinerary Ethiopian Airlines will follow:
Flight | Leg | Departure | Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|
ET 738 | ADD – GVA | 12:10 AM | 6:30 AM |
GVA – LYS | 7:30 AM | 8:15 AM | |
ET 739 | LYS – GVA | 7:20 PM | 8:05 PM |
GVA – ADD | 9:05 PM | 4:55 AM (+1) |
To reiterate, Ethiopian Airlines does not have traffic rights on the GVA – LYS round-trip. Therefore, the carrier cannot take on more passengers at GVA on its outbound journey, and passengers boarding the aircraft at Lyon cannot alight the flight at Geneva, on the return journey.
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Other Connections From Geneva
As stated above, the airline previously used Geneva as a stopover point on its way to and from Brussels, which the airline operated three times weekly, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. This has now been replaced with services to Lyon. However, the carrier does serve another European destination via Geneva.
Operating a further three weekly services, the carrier connects to Manchester Airport (MAN) in the UK via Geneva. The airline initially launched services to Manchester in December 2018, as a non-stop service, on a four-weekly basis. However, in October 2022, the airline began routing services to and from Manchester via Geneva. The following interactive map shows the airline’s operations in Europe, via Geneva:
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Unlike the carrier’s services between Geneva and Lyon, Ethiopian does have fifth-freedom traffic rights on its services between Geneva and Manchester. Therefore, the airline can carry passengers between the two destinations, and it does compete with easyJet on this route.
Examined: Why Ethiopian Airlines Is A World Leader In 5th Freedom Flights
The largest airline in Africa accounts for more than 10% of all fifth-freedom flights globally.
Ethiopian Airlines’ Network To France
With the addition of Lyon, Ethiopian Airlines now serves three destinations in France. The other two destinations are Paris and Marseille. Following the theme of Ethiopian’s extensive one-stop and fifth-freedom services, the airline operates additional services to Manchester, as an add-on to its Marseille service.
Overall, the carrier operates 14 weekly services across the three destinations in France. This includes weekly services to 
Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG), four weekly services to Marseille Provence Airport (MRS), and the newly launched three weekly services to Lyon, via Geneva. This is part of the airline’s plans to expand its footprint within Europe and France, along with assisting trade relations between France and Africa.
Ethiopian is recognized as one of the largest airlines in Africa and among the fastest growing in the world. The airline has a considerable number of aircraft on order, an expanding network, and even a mega-hub on the way. Upon completion, the new airport facility will be the largest airport within the continent, capable of handling around 110 million annual passengers, with the ability to accommodate around 270 aircraft. With the airline directly contributing to the upcoming $12.5 billion airport plans, the airline is anticipating significant capacity and operational growth in the coming years.
