Ethiopian Airlines Says Half-Year Revenue Rises 14%

Monday 2nd February 2026

By inAfrika Newsroom

Ethiopian Airlines half-year revenue rose 14% from a year earlier, the carrier said on Tuesday, citing new destinations, more flights and the addition of seven aircraft as drivers of growth for Africa’s largest commercial airline.

The update arrives as African aviation faces a split reality: strong demand on key routes and growing intra-African travel, but also higher operating costs, currency pressures, and infrastructure constraints that can squeeze margins. Ethiopian Airlines has positioned itself as a continental connector and a global long-haul competitor, using Addis Ababa’s hub to link Africa with Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the Americas.

In many African markets, airlines struggle to sustain profitability due to taxes, volatile fuel costs, and limited access to foreign currency for leasing and maintenance payments. Ethiopian’s ability to grow revenue therefore carries wider significance. It signals how scale, network design, and fleet strategy can create resilience, even while competitors face route cuts or delayed expansion.

The airline’s performance also intersects with industrial policy. Aviation supports tourism receipts, business connectivity, cargo logistics and trade in time-sensitive goods such as pharmaceuticals, horticulture and high-value components. When a hub carrier expands flights and destinations, it can strengthen export competitiveness and reduce the effective distance between African producers and global markets.

Ethiopian Airlines has also been active in fleet modernisation and route development, which often require long-cycle planning and financing. New aircraft can improve fuel efficiency and reliability, while route additions can diversify revenue streams away from single corridors that are vulnerable to shocks.

Still, aviation growth is not risk-free. Security disruptions, geopolitical tensions, and uneven airport capacity can affect schedule reliability. In addition, global aviation is under pressure to reduce emissions, pushing carriers to invest in more efficient aircraft and to engage with sustainable aviation fuel and other transition pathways.

Ethiopian Airlines half-year revenue: What drove the increase

Ethiopian Airlines half-year revenue growth was supported by new destinations, higher flight frequencies, and the induction of seven new aircraft, the company said.

Next steps

Investors and policymakers will watch whether demand holds through the next peak travel cycles, how costs evolve, and whether the airline continues route expansion while maintaining operational reliability and fleet discipline.

Why it matters

A financially stronger hub carrier can improve Africa’s connectivity, lower logistics friction for trade, and support tourism and services exports, while setting competitive pressure for other airlines to reform and scale.