PRESS OFFICE: Ethiopian Airlines

In a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed during the Star Alliance Chief Executive Board (CEB) meeting in Beijing, Star Alliance, member carrier Air China and Beijing Capital International Airport (BCIA) have agreed to closely cooperate to further establish Beijing Capital International Airport as a leading hub and transfer airport as well as to significantly enhance the future customer experience.

“Beijing is an important hub for our Star Alliance network. The opening of the second airport at Daxing presents us with an opportunity to cement our commitment to Beijing Capital International Airport. This agreement now sets the foundation to provide a superior customer experience and achieve future growth at the Beijing hub”, said Christian Draeger, Vice President Customer Experience, Star Alliance.

“On the occasion of its 10th anniversary as a Star Alliance member airline, Air China is proud to be able to play its role in securing the Alliance’s long-term presence at Beijing Capital International Airport”, said Zhao Xiaohang, Senior Vice President, Air China.

“This is a win-win situation for all sides”, said Du Qiang, Vice President from Beijing Capital International Airport. “Having the commitment from Star Alliance allows us to secure the necessary resources to jointly provide an improved customer experience at our airport.”

Under the MoU, the parties will cooperate to co-locate all Star Alliance member airlines in the same airport terminal. This allows the Alliance to provide an improved passenger experience and to implement airport automation initiatives such as off-airport check-in, fast bag drop or self-tagging.

Common handling solutions, optimised transfer processes and the Star Alliance Connection Service will provide further benefits to the customers.

17 Star Alliance member airlines serve Beijing Capital International Airport: Air Canada, Air China, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, SWISS, Turkish Airlines, THAI and United. Together they operate over 742 flights per day, connecting Beijing with 177 destinations in 41 countries.

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About Star Alliance

The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer worldwide reach, recognition and seamless service to the international traveller. Its acceptance by the market has been recognized by numerous awards, including the Air Transport World Market Leadership Award and Best Airline Alliance by both Business Traveller Magazine and Skytrax. The member airlines are: Adria Airways, Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, Avianca Brasil, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Air Portugal, Turkish Airlines, THAI and United. Overall, the Star Alliance network currently offers more than 18,400 daily flights to 1,300 airports in 191 countries. Further connecting flights are offered by Star Alliance Connecting Partner Juneyao Airlines.

Further information can be obtained via:
Star Alliance Press Office
Tel: +49 69 96375 183
Fax: +49 69 96375 683
Email: [email protected]; www.staralliance.com
Twitter @staralliance twitter.com/staralliance
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About Ethiopian

Ethiopian Airlines (Ethiopian) is the fastest growing airline in Africa. In its seven decades of operation, Ethiopian has become one of the continent’s leading carriers, unrivalled in efficiency and operational success.

Ethiopian commands the lion’s share of the pan-African passenger and cargo network operating the youngest and most modern fleet across five continents. Ethiopian fleet includes ultra-modern and environmentally friendly aircraft such as Airbus A350, Boeing 787, Boeing 777-300ER, Boeing 777-200LR, Boeing 777-200 Freighter, and Bombardier Q-400 double cabin.   Ethiopian was the first airline in Africa to own and operate each of these aircraft.

Ethiopian is currently implementing a 15-year strategic plan called Vision 2025 that will see it become the leading aviation group in Africa with seven business centers:

Ethiopian Domestic and Regional Airline; Ethiopian International Passenger Airline; Ethiopian Cargo; Ethiopian MRO; Ethiopian Aviation Academy; Ethiopian In-flight Catering Services; and Ethiopian Ground Service. Ethiopian is a multi-award winning airline registering an average annual growth of 25% in the past seven years.

For more information about this press release, please contact:

Mrs Aniley Eshetu
A/Manager Corporate Communications
Ethiopian Airlines
Tel: (251-1)517-89-07/656/165/913/529
[email protected]

www.ethiopianairlines.com
www.facebook.com/ethiopianairlines
www.twitter.com/flyethiopian