Page 28

Frontiers October 2016 Issue

Lion of With 16 787s in its fleet and more on the way, Ethiopian charts a path for ‘nothing but growth’ BY DAN RALEY he Douglas C-47 Skytrain was a no-frills airplane, offering canvas seats that T folded up to make room for large cargo loads, a cabin configuration that worked well for Allied troops during World War II. But in April 1946, one of these twin-engine workhorses went from military transport to commercial airliner when it lifted off from Asmara, Ethiopia, and carried passengers 1,120 miles (1,800 kilometers) north to Cairo—establishing what is now known as Ethiopian Airlines and forming a partnership with Boeing and its legacy companies that has lasted for seven decades. Ethiopian later was one of the first airlines on the African continent to order a Boeing jet, putting a 720B in service in 1960. In fact, a new airport was built in Bole, just outside Ethiopia’s most populous city and 28 | BOEING FRONTIERS capital, Addis Ababa, to accommodate arrival of the bigger airplane, according to Ethiopian Airlines. The jetliner delivery followed a well-publicized tour of the United States by Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie. One of his stops was Boeing Plant 2, in Seattle. Accompanied by Boeing President William Allen, the African leader in full-dress uniform received a close-up look at the factory, posed for photos and was given a Boeing model airplane as a keepsake, according to news accounts. The Boeing visit left an impression on the leader, who would return home and make air travel an economic priority for


Frontiers October 2016 Issue
To see the actual publication please follow the link above