Ivory Coast is about to have its first direct flight to the US in nearly two years, thanks to Ethiopian Airlines.
The airline is resuming non-stop flights between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Abidjan, one of the largest cities in Ivory Coast, starting May 23. Passengers in New York can connect to or from its hub in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia , via Abidjan.
The revival of the route also marks the return of a fifth free flight for the carrier. A fifth free flight allows an airline to fly between two countries other than the airline’s home country as long as the flight continues to or from that airline’s home country. There are many fifth free routes from the United States, including a number of Singapore Airlines routes. Some examples include routes between JFK and Frankfurt, and Houston and Manchester, England.
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For Ethiopian, it first launched flights to Ivory Coast from New York City in June 2019; it suspended the route almost a year later, in March 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Ivory Coast is a West African country known for its lush forests full of palm trees. One of its most notable sites is a beautiful basilica – based on Saint Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City – located in the country’s capital, Yamoussoukro.
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However, due to ongoing regional political tensions and high crime rates, the U.S. Department of State Recommendations reconsider trip to Ivory Coast.
Ethiopian Airlines CEO Mesfin Tasew said the airline has been trying to add more routes to its map over the past few months, including resuming flights it previously canceled because of COVID-19.
“We have increased frequency and added new destinations in Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia over the past few months and we are delighted that the Abidjan-New York service will be back up and running,” said Tasew.
The airline has also grown its network in the US. In January, Ethiopian announced it will serve flights between Atlanta and Addis Ababa starting May 16. The airline has flown to New York, Newark, Chicago and Washington, DC.
