This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/18/champagne-and-roses-on-first-ethiopia-eritrea-flights-in-two-decades

The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Champagne and roses on first Ethiopia-Eritrea flights in two decades Champagne and roses on first Ethiopia-Eritrea flights in two decades
(35 minutes later)
The first commercial flight from Ethiopia to Eritrea in two decades has departed from Addis Ababa, after the two nations ended their bitter conflict in a whirlwind peace process. The passengers put their seatbelts on and settled in for the 80-minute morning flight. Ethiopian Airlines ET0312 took off, much as hundreds of other planes making short-haul hops between neighbouring capitals do.
Ethiopian Airlines said flight ET0312 to Asmara had taken off from Bole international airport. To meet overwhelming demand it ran a second flight within 15 minutes of the first. But this was no ordinary commercial flight: it was Ethiopian Airlines’ first in two decades to Asmara, the capital of Eritrea, and to celebrate, according to journalists on board, champagne was served along with red roses.
“This day marks a unique event in the history of Ethiopia and Eritrea,” the airline’s chief executive, Tewolde GebreMariam, said at a ceremony before the flight. “The fact that we are taking two flights at a time shows the eagerness of the people.” The two countries have been locked in a tense military standoff since the border war that began in 1998 and caused the deaths of about 70,000 people.
An AFP journalist onboard the second flight said flight attendants served champagne to passengers in all classes and handed out roses. A new political order in Ethiopia has given rise to an abrupt thawing in relations between the country with Africa’s fastest-growing economy and its young, underdeveloped but self-reliant neighbour.
Ethiopian Airlines, one of Africa’s fastest-growing carriers, has said it would initially operate a once-a-day return flight between Addis Ababa and Asmara. Since taking over in April, the Ethiopian prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, has released dissidents from prison and liberalised parts of the economy. The state-run airline, telecoms and energy companies could all be sold off to “unleash the potential of the private sector”, a minister told Reuters on Wednesday.
“With the demand we are witnessing, I think we’re going to increase the frequency to twice a day, thrice a day and even more,” said Tewolde. In a historic visit, Ahmed flew into Asmara 10 days ago, and was met by his Eritrean counterpart, the long-time president Isaias Afwerki, with warm embraces and laughter. They agreed to implement a peace agreement signed in Algiers in 2000.
He said the opening of Eritrean airspace to Ethiopian Airlines would also mean more efficient routes to the Middle East. A week later, Afwerki spent three days in Addis Ababa.
Among the passengers on the first flight was the former prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn, whose shock resignation in February was the first step in a series of shake-ups in Ethiopian politics. “I knew one day it would happen,” Hailemariam said of the peace with Eritrea. On Monday, Eritrea reopened its embassy in Addis Ababa, which had been frozen in time with its floral-patterned formal armchairs set around coffee tables, all covered in a thick layer of dust.
Hailemariam was succeeded as prime minister in April by Abiy Ahmed, a 42-year-old former army officer and cabinet minister described by analysts as a “man in an extreme hurry”. Family members of former embassy staff still smiled out from framed portraits on a dressing table, near which lay a crate of 20-year-old unopened beer bottles.
After announcing the liberalisation of parts of the Ethiopian economy and releasing jailed dissidents, last month Abiy declared his intention to make peace with Eritrea after two decades of frozen relations. The resumption of regular flights is another symbol of the detente between the two countries.
Eritrea was once part of Ethiopia and comprised its entire coastline on the Red Sea until it voted for independence in 1993. A row over the demarcation of the shared border triggered a conflict in 1998-2000 which left 80,000 people dead before evolving into a bitter cold war. Ethiopian Airlines said tickets for the flight sold out in less than an hour. There were 300 seats on the plane, and many of the passengers were thought to be people separated from their families by the conflict.
Abiy stunned observers with his announcement he would finally accept a 2002 United Nations-backed border demarcation. However, he has yet to announce a withdrawal of troops. “Family reunion,” Ethiopian Airlines tweeted, along with a pre-dawn picture of the pilots waiting in their cockpit.
He then paid a visit to Eritrea, during which he and Eritrea’s president, Isaias Afwerki declared an official end to the war. Afwerki reciprocated with a state visit to Ethiopia days later. On Monday Afwerki reopened Eritrea’s embassy in Addis Ababa. The clock is ticking for our historic flight to #Asmara. #Familyreunion #Ethiopia #Eritrea pic.twitter.com/EEWIo67uhj
The reunion has been welcomed by Ethiopians, who share strong cultural ties with Eritreans. Many were cut off from family during the long years of enmity. Sipping coffee as they waited for the flight were Ethiopia’s former prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn and the former first lady Roman Tesfaye. Desalegn told Reuters: “It is heartfelt joy. There has been hatred between us for the last 20 years. Now that has been reversed.”
The rapprochement is expected to provide an economic boost to both nations, offering booming Ethiopia – which currently channels its trade through Djiboutian ports – access to Eritrean shores.
Amnesty International has said the newfound peace should be a catalyst for change in Eritrea, one of the world’s most isolated nations. Since the end of the war, Isaias has used the threat of Ethiopian aggression to justify a rash of repressive policies, including an indefinite national service programme that the UN has likened to slavery.
EthiopiaEthiopia
EritreaEritrea
AfricaAfrica
Air transportAir transport
newsnews
Share on FacebookShare on Facebook
Share on TwitterShare on Twitter
Share via EmailShare via Email
Share on LinkedInShare on LinkedIn
Share on PinterestShare on Pinterest
Share on Google+Share on Google+
Share on WhatsAppShare on WhatsApp
Share on MessengerShare on Messenger
Reuse this contentReuse this content