Ethiopian Airlines Expands Pan-African Web: 6 Launches & Upgrades from Oct—Dec 2026

Ethiopian Airlines is deepening its footprint across the continent. Following the July launch of its direct Addis Ababa–Mauritius service, the carrier has announced a cascade of new routes and frequency increases — Nacala in Mozambique this October, daily Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar flights plus an upgraded Entebbe schedule in November, and new Port Harcourt and Durban services alongside a second daily Seychelles flight in December. The expansion underscores Addis Ababa’s ambition as Africa’s premier connecting hub.

Ethiopian Airlines is stitching another chapter into its pan-African expansion strategy. In a span of just a few months, Africa’s largest carrier by network size has added six new destinations and frequency upgrades across the continent, extending its reach from the Indian Ocean islands to the coastal cities of Southern and East Africa.

The rollout began in July, when the airline launched direct service between Addis Ababa and Port Louis, Mauritius — three times weekly on a Boeing 737 MAX 8. Until then, travelers from Ethiopia and beyond had to route through Johannesburg, Nairobi, or Antananarivo to reach the island nation. The new direct link, operating on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, cuts through those detours and folds Mauritius into Ethiopian’s broader transit network.

Now, the expansion accelerates.

October — Nacala, Mozambique (27 October)

Starting October 27, Ethiopian Airlines will begin thrice-weekly service to Nacala, Mozambique‘s northern port and tourism hub. Flights depart Addis Ababa on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, routing through Blantyre, Malawi, before continuing to Nacala International Airport. The outbound flight (ET 875) leaves Addis Ababa at 09:20, lands in Blantyre at 12:15, and arrives in Nacala at 14:20. The return departs Nacala at 15:10 and touches down in Addis Ababa at 20:05.

Nacala becomes Ethiopian’s third destination in Mozambique, joining Maputo and Beira. The connection opens a new gateway for travelers and cargo bound for northern Mozambique’s coast and hinterland, tapping into a market previously underserved by long-haul carriers.

November — Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar (Daily Service)

By November, Ethiopian Airlines doubles down on Tanzania, launching daily flights to both Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar and increasing frequency across the country’s tourism corridor. The twin daily services put two of Africa’s most iconic destinations — Mount Kilimanjaro and the spice island of Zanzibar — within a single connection of Addis Ababa, allowing passengers from across the carrier’s 145-plus global network to reach Tanzania without intermediate regional layovers.

The expansion reflects the importance of Tanzanian tourism to Ethiopian’s strategy. Kilimanjaro draws trekkers and adventure travelers from around the world; Zanzibar is one of the Indian Ocean’s premier beach destinations. Daily service on both routes signals strong confidence in demand and positions Ethiopian as the continent’s most convenient gateway to Tanzania.

December — Port Harcourt, Nigeria (1 December)

Ethiopian enters Port Harcourt for the first time, launching four-times-weekly service (Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays) on a Boeing 737 MAX 8. Flight ET 945 departs Addis Ababa at 09:30 and arrives in Port Harcourt at 12:25 local time, with the return departing at 13:10 and arriving back in Addis Ababa at 20:30. The addition bolsters Ethiopian’s West African presence, connecting one of Nigeria‘s key commercial and oil-industry cities to the carrier’s international network.

December — Seychelles (Second Daily Flight, 1 December)

Ethiopian will double its Seychelles presence, adding a second daily flight starting December 1 — injecting more than 1,000 additional seats per week into the Addis Ababa–Seychelles corridor. Seychelles had already been on the carrier’s network; this expansion reflects growing demand from both African and international travelers seeking the Indian Ocean archipelago.

The added frequency is a strategic response to regional dynamics. With Middle Eastern carriers facing disruptions and African leisure demand rising, the Ethiopian service offers another reliable route through an African gateway — giving Seychelles tourism operators a new channel for attracting visitors from the continent and beyond.

December — Entebbe, Uganda (Frequency Increase)

Ethiopian Airlines is also beefing up its existing Uganda service. Starting in December 2, the carrier introduces five additional weekly flights between Addis Ababa and Entebbe, lifting the route to a total of 35 frequencies per week. “Enjoy enhanced connectivity to/from Entebbe as we introduce five additional weekly flights and increase our frequency to 35,” the airline announced on X, urging passengers to book ahead.

Entebbe is already one of Ethiopian’s busiest East African corridors, and the upgrade reflects sustained demand between the two capitals. For Ugandan travelers, the added frequencies mean more flexible departure windows and easier connections onward to Europe, Asia, and the Americas via Addis Ababa. For inbound visitors, the route remains the primary gateway to Uganda’s gorilla trekking, Lake Victoria, and the country’s growing business sector.

December — Durban, South Africa (11 December)

By mid-December, Ethiopian Airlines will launch daily service between Durban‘s King Shaka International Airport and Addis Ababa, operated on a Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. The route gives South Africa‘s KwaZulu-Natal province a direct link to Ethiopian’s global network, allowing passengers to connect to cities including London, Paris, Frankfurt, Mumbai, Delhi, and Washington without secondary regional layovers .

The daily frequency signals strong confidence in demand between the region and the wider world — a bold commitment for a route still finding its footing.

What It All Means

Taken together, these launches and upgrades paint a clear picture of Ethiopian Airlines’ ambition. The carrier is not simply adding destinations — it is weaving a denser connective tissue across the continent, linking secondary cities (Nacala, Port Harcourt, Durban) and strengthening high-demand corridors (Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar, Entebbe, Seychelles) to its hub at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, which already feeds more than 145 destinations across five continents.

The strategy follows an asset-light, multi-hub model that has seen Ethiopian partner with regional carriers in Lomé (ASKY), Lilongwe (Malawi Airlines), and Lusaka (Zambia Airways). By feeding smaller African markets into its wide-angle international network, Ethiopian positions itself as the continent’s indispensable transit gateway.

For travelers, the practical benefit is straightforward: fewer connections, simpler itineraries, and single-ticket access to destinations that previously required complex patchwork routing. For the regions involved, the new routes carry the promise of boosted tourism, enhanced trade links, and deeper integration into global travel flows.

As African aviation continues to grow even as other regions recalibrate, Ethiopian Airlines’ aggressive Q3–Q4 2026 expansion is a signal of confidence — and a reminder that the continent’s skies are still opening up.