Ethiopian Airlines names new manager for Nairobi office

National carrier Kenya Airways’ main rival in Africa, Ethiopian Airlines, has named new area manager for its Nairobi office.

Zewdu Mariam who previously worked in Gabon under the same capacity said that his focus would be to initiate growth strategy and identify new markets for the airline.

Mr Mariam takes over from Ato Solomon, an Ethiopian.

The appointment comes at a time when Ethiopian Airlines has announced plans to double its daily flights to Nairobi from two to four this year, a move that will see the firm battle it out with KQ for passengers on the popular business corridor.

“For now, the main focus is to cement our presence in the Kenyan market and in the region and expand on new routes,” said Zewdu Mariam in a telephone interview with the Business Daily.

Ethiopian airlines recently invested in the struggling Malawian Air in a move that locked Kenya Airways out of the lucrative Malawi-Zambia route.

Collapse of the airline last year saw Kenya Airways become a key beneficiary as the Malawian government restored its rights in April. KQ was the sole operator on the route as Air Malawi looked for a bailout.

READ: Ethiopian Airlines opens double assault on KQ routes

Kenya Airways has been eyeing a larger share of the southern Africa market as it deepens its growth strategy of connecting more African cities to Asia and Europe through its Nairobi hub.

The Malawian government also cancelled KQ’s rights to fly the Lilongwe-Lusaka (Zambia) route, which allowed Kenya Airways to pick and drop passengers between the two cities.

The cancellation of license effective March 1 came shortly after the re-launch of Malawi Airlines, which is now 49 per cent owned by Ethiopian Airlines. The move does not, however, affect KQ flights to Lilongwe and Blantyre, which were launched in June last year.