Saturday 20 / April / 2024
Muscat: Ethiopian Airlines, the national carrier of Ethiopia, is now flying four times a week to Addis Ababa instead of seven from the Muscat International Airport, Sami Muctar, Ethiopian Airlines’ country manager in Oman, said.
This comes after Oman stopped issuing visas to domestic workers from Ethiopia, Kenya, Senegal, Guinea and Cameroon. “Besides this, economic downturn and uncertain future for many has forced us to take such a decision,” he told the Times of Oman on Monday.
He also admitted that business travel and tourism has also been affected due to the economic downturn. “Limited people are travelling for business or for leisure,” he said.
To woo more travellers, Ethiopian Airlines is offering special offers for travel to Addis Ababa, Zanzibar, Dar-es-Salaam, Khartoum, Nairobi and Mombasa and to almost all African destinations. “These special offers will help enhance tourism and trade between the two countries and also benefit the Ethiopians currently living in Oman,” Muctar stated.
“The Ethiopian Airlines flies to over 50 destinations in Africa and our passengers will have a wide range of options,” he said, adding that the carrier has been promoting holiday tour packages to Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Seychelles and South Africa.
“We are also promoting our family fare whereby a family of four gets one free ticket for every three tickets purchased,” he said.
“Our current price for a return ticket between Muscat and Addis Ababa is around OMR169 but if you purchase a package, you can get a two-way ticket for OMR200 that also comes with a three-night stay in Addis Ababa including airport transfers,” Muctar said.
He also explained that in the absence of embassies in the two capitals, Muscat and Addis Ababa, Ethiopian Airlines is now receiving visa applications, and visas are issued.
The actual visa is stamped on the passport of the applicant upon arrival at the Addis Ababa airport.
Commenting on the average number of passengers travelling between Muscat and Addis Ababa, the official said, “We are operating a Boeing 737-700, which seats a total of 118 passengers, and a Boeing 737-800, which has a capacity of 154 passengers.”
Muctar said Ethiopia is one of the most ancient countries in the world and is becoming an increasingly popular tourist destination in Africa.
He encouraged Omanis and expatriates to explore the many tourist attractions of Ethiopia, saying that the tourism infrastructure in the African country has improved a lot and the available accommodation caters to a wide range of tourists.
Muctar said in addition to the pleasant weather, tourists can enjoy a number of historic sites, including in the walled city of Harar, considered one of the holiest places in the Muslim world, and Aksum city, which is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in Africa.
Other places worth visiting include Gondar, which is a city full of ancient castles built by famous kings in the medieval era of Ethiopia, and also Lalibela, home to one of the oldest rock hewn churches, which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Also, Dallol, a place in the north-eastern part of Ethiopia, is one of the lowest and hottest places on Earth where one can see a live volcano throughout the year. An increasing number of adventure tourists are visiting Dallol.
Tourism cooperation will benefit both countries, said Ethiopian Airlines’ country manager in Oman.
