News Update – Ethiopian takes delivery of third brand new B777-200LR

ETHIOPIAN TAKES DELIVERY OF THIRD B777-200LR

  

Last weekend saw a third brand new extra long range B777-200LR join the ET fleet. Currently operating a fleet of 45 aircraft, Ethiopian has a further 34 aircraft on order, amongst them the long delayed B787 and other wide bodied aircraft from Boeing and Airbus. Two more of the B777 are due for delivery during the year 2011, to be followed by additional B737-800’s, the backbone of the airline’s Africa operation.

The maiden flight took off from the Boeing plant in Seattle, after taking formal delivery, and then routed via Washington where it picked up passengers for the non-stop flight to Addis. Also on board was a substantial donation of medical equipment and materials courtesy of both Boeing and the Seattle Anaesthesia Outreach organization, destined for the Black Lion Hospital in Ethiopia.

Ethiopian Airlines, soon to formally join the global Star Alliance, is expected to substantially widen their network reach across Africa and the rest of the world and will undoubtedly proof to be a valuable addition to the other Star Alliance members by connecting passengers into our continent via Addis Ababa.

South Sudan contemplating own currency

while the regime in Khartoum is planning to ditch the Pound and revert to the Dinar of old …

CURRENCY REVISION FOR BOTH NORTH AND SOUTH

Information was leaked earlier in the week that the regime in Khartoum was making preparations to recall all Pound notes as they were preparing to revert to the Dinar as the unit of currency, after the South becomes independent.

The Pound was introduced as a ‘common’ currency when the South became semi-independent after the Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed in January 2005, but the recent massive slide in value and currency restrictions imposed on the South’s business community and travellers by the Central Bank in Khartoum did little to make the Pound a currency of choice for the South. They too are expected to introduce a new currency after Independence, for one to further national integration of the new country and the other reason being to avoid the North swamping the South with a currency which printing press they still control exclusively. Economic sabotage of such a scale would be made nearly impossible by the South equally rejecting the pound and having their own new unit coming out and there is speculation they may change to a South Sudan Shilling, in line with the currencies of their major trading partners in the East African Community. Watch this space as more details emerge in coming weeks.

UWA shares gate receipts with Lake Mburo communities

UWA SUPPORTS LAKE MBURO COMMUNITIES

Over 177 million Uganda Shillings were yesterday handed over to communities living outside the Lake Mburo National Park by the Uganda Wildlife Authority as part of their mandated gate receipt sharing scheme. The funds will be used to complete projects the communities had agreed with UWA in the past to improve the lives of those living near the park, so that tourism benefits can percolate down to those who otherwise often just see the tour vehicles rush by but otherwise rarely see ‘something in return’.

Revenue share is part of the provisions of the Wildlife Act under which the authority operates and hundreds of millions of shillings have in the past been shared with communities all over the country living around ‘protected areas’.