Ethiopian Airlines Reports $7.6b Revenue, Confirms Frozen Funds in Eritrea Remain Inaccessible

Addis Abeba — Ethiopian Airlines transported more than 19 million domestic and international passengers and earned 7.6 billion USD in revenue during the 2024/2025 Ethiopian budget year, marking an 8 % increase from the previous year, CEO Mesfin Tasew announced today.

The airline currently operates flights to 21 domestic airports, with six additional airports expected to be completed and operational within the next six months, Mesfin told local media.

The national carrier added 13 new aircraft - four Boeing and three Airbus - and launched six new international routes.

It has transported 15.2 million international and 3.9 million domestic passengers, totaling over 19 million travelers, and moved 785,323 tons of cargo in the reported fiscal year, according to Mesfin.

However, the CEO admitted that multiple regional and global crises, including conflicts in the Middle East, Sudan, Ukraine, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as having significantly disrupted airline operations over the past year. He also cited U.S. government regulations as a growing challenge to air transport services.

"Despite these challenges, the global air transport industry managed to serve 5 billion customers," he said, adding that Ethiopian Airlines delivered a comparatively strong performance.

Addressing the unresolved issue of Ethiopian Airlines' frozen bank account in Eritrea, which led to the suspension of flights to Asmara in September last year, the CEO confirmed that the seized funds remain unrecovered.

"We pursued legal measures to recover the money through the courts, but the efforts were unsuccessful. Therefore, the issue is a political decision," he said.

Despite the halted service, Mesfin noted that the airline continues to use Eritrean airspace for its international routes dispelling unconfirmed reports that the airline was denied Eritrean airspace.

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