The covid-19 pandemic is not over yet but it has already had a huge impact on all sectors around the world, with air transport on the front line. In Africa, the largest airline, Ethiopian Airlines, has already lost $550 million, according to Tewolde Gebremariam, the company’s CEO.

Ethiopia, which still maintains flights to China, where the virus was first detected, has been forced to drastically reduce its network. Tewolde Gebremariam said the carrier now serves only 19 international destinations out of 110 initially.

However, the Ethiopian Airlines boss reassures that the company has enough cash buffers to keep itself afloat during this crisis without government support. Moreover, the company has not laid off any employees and has no intention of doing so, he said.

To mitigate losses during this period, Ethiopian Airlines has stepped up its maintenance services, cargo operations and charter flights for repatriation. It is also negotiating with aircraft rental companies to defer monthly payments until June. The company is paying $30 million per month for the leasing of aircraft, Tewolde Gebremariam revealed.

On the continent as a whole, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates that African airlines could lose $4 billion in 2020.

Romuald Ngueyap