Africa’s biggest and most successful Airline, Ethiopia Airlines, has announced a new onboard service for its customers – onboard Wi-Fi connectivity.
The Airline posted on social media that the service will start with its A350 fleets. They added that the service will use the latest broadband satellite technology (Ka-band).
“With the state-of-the-art broadband satellite technology, passengers can now enjoy reliable connectivity while flying over the clouds,” the Airline said. It did not specify whether the service will be free or at a cost.
The A350 belongs to the European manufacturer, Airbus, one of Ethiopian’s suppliers.
“Incredibly, inflight WiFi is a relatively recent development. For instance, Boeing didn’t get into the business until 2001,” the report said. “Gogo, one of the biggest names in the business didn’t come online until 2008,” it added.
The airline currently flies to over 50 African cities in what is the largest network by a national carrier. It is also in talks to help about a dozen African countries to establish and manage their carriers.
Ethiopian – a member of the Star Alliance group is also one of the oldest Airlines in the world.
They command the lion’s share of the pan-African passenger and cargo network operating the youngest and most modern fleet to 95 international destinations across five continents.
It is the first African operator to take delivery of the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. Its operations have transformed the Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa into a continental hub.