Ethiopian Airlines to start services to Chennai, India on Boeing 737 MAX jets.

Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s leading airline, is set to start thrice-weekly operations to Chennai, India as of 02 July 2022. Chennai will join the vast Ethiopian network as a fourth destination in India after New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Ethiopian started its service to India with a debut flight to New Delhi in 1966, just 20 years after the airline was founded. Ethiopian pioneered the air transport linkage between Africa and  India. Recently, Ethiopian marked its 50th year anniversary of uninterrupted service to  Mumbai, the commercial capital of India.  

The flights to Chennai will be operated using Boeing 737- MAX 8 aircraft as per the below schedule.  

Flight number	Effective  Date	Frequency	Departure  Airport	Arrival   airport	Aircraft   type
ET 0692	02-Jul-22	1.3..6.	ADD	MAA	ET 737 - MAX 8
ET 0693	02-Jul-22	1.3.5..	MAA	ADD	ET 737 - MAX 8

 Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Mr Mesfin Tasew said: " I am excited that we are getting closer to our customers with our signature service and global connectivity options. We have been connecting Asia and Africa for 55 years now facilitating trade between the two continents. The addition of Chennai as a fourth passenger destination in India is a testimony of our resilience and unwavering commitment to serve our customers in India and the continent at large. We will continue to serve India with enhanced frequency and more destinations in the future. "

The flights will be operated by a Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, the same type as the plane that crashed whilst operating flight ET302 from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport in Ethiopia to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya, on 10th March 2019, killing all 157 people onboard. It was the deadliest crash for Ethiopian Airlines in its history and the was the second crash of a 737 MAX jet in five months, following the Lion Air disaster. 

Chennai is a modern cosmopolitan city and the most prominent cultural, economic and educational centre of South India. Ethiopian has been serving India without any interruption even during the pandemic cementing the longstanding bilateral relationship between the two countries. India is one of Ethiopian Airlines key destinations in the Asian continent and Ethiopian currently flies to three passenger and five cargo destinations with its enhanced services and modern fleet. In line with the airline's commitment to serve its customers in India, it has been growing its service frequency and destinations since it first commenced operation to the country. Besides the opening of a new route to Chennai, Ethiopian Airlines’ flight frequency to the cities of Mumbai and New Delhi will increase to double daily and ten weekly flights, respectively, as of July 2022. 

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Air Models have a range of aircraft models, including some special 737 MAX models, including this one in the colours of flydubai.  

Other airlines featured include Air China,  Xiamen Air and China Southern 

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