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Ethiopian Airlines has distinguished itself as the leading Airline in Africa. Its operational competence and business foresight were proven even at a time when the airline industry was hit hard by the Coronavirus pandemic. It managed to remain profitable without laying off its employees by converting a significant number of its passenger planes into cargo.
However, this week stories of passenger abuse at Bole International Airport in the hands of security officials have been trending on social media platforms triggering extensive conversations about it. Individuals have been sharing video messages regarding their experiences of Abuse.
From the stories shared on social media, the abuse of passengers is not directly related to Ethiopian Airlines. It involves immigration officials who seem to consider themselves politically privileged on grounds of ethnic identity. There have been allegations that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s administration favors ethnic Oromo and is serving the Oromuma ideology although his government has been denying it.
Passengers with valid passports and visas are reportedly detained minutes before their flight. Those who came out to share their experience say – they had to give a bribe to the officials for the sake of not missing their flights.
The Ethiopian Airlines on Tuesday responded to the allegations. It said it will investigate the complaints and take corrective measures.
It said that “it has learned from social media pages about complaints in connection with service delivery at Bole Airport.” Noting that it pays attention to complaints from customers, it said it has been following the process.
Furthermore, it said that it is working with other stakeholders at Bole Airport to investigate the complaints and pledged to take measures based on the findings from the investigation.
The National Air Transport Facility Committee this week had an evaluative meeting to assess Ethiopian Airlines’ performance over the past six years. The committee said the outcome was positive. It said the number of passengers grew by 29 percent, revenue by 14 percent, and its profitability by 22 percent over the past six months. About the complaints, the committee (whose head is the Federal Minister for Transport), the committee tends to think that “the rumors, hearsays and character assassinations are far from truth and unacceptable.”
Ethiopian Airlines has recently announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Boeing to acquire the latest Boeing 777- 9 to meet its plan to expand its international destinations.
The 79-year-old state-owned Ethiopian Airlines has been one of the major income earners for the country. The practice of political patronage and radical ethnic nationalism within the government structure seems to be compromising the support work needed for the airline in terms of security checks and customs control. The airline is unspecified if it will make public the findings from the investigation that seems to be underway.
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