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Ethiopian moves to broaden foothold in Africa

Ethiopian Airlines is seeking to expand its African presence by creating airline startups across the continent.

It launched Lome-based ASKY Airlines in January (ATWOnline, January 21). CEO Girma Wake previously toldATWOnline that Ethiopian has a 25% stake in ASKY, which has a diverse ownership spread among individuals and institutions in 11 African countries. The carrier operates to 11 destinations and will take delivery of its third 737NG during the summer. “ASKY has become profitable already,” Wake told ATWOnline this week on the sidelines of the IATA AGM in Berlin.

He said ET is evaluating launching additional airlines in southern or northern Africa. “But first we want to [solidify] ASKY,” he explained. He did not rule out investing in existing African carriers. “We are talking to [some airlines],” he revealed. A further possibility could be to join forces with another major African airline to launch a startup, he said. He also reiterated that ET would like to join Star Alliance.

ET operates 26 jet aircraft (including a freighter fleet of two 747Fs, two MD-11Fs and two 757-200Fs) and nine turboprops. “We take delivery of our first 777-200LR this autumn,” Wake said. A total of five 777-200LRs will arrive through July 2011. It will take delivery of three 737-800s during the remainder of this year. He added that delivery of the carrier’s first 787 is confirmed “for July 2011.” It has 10 787s on order.

ET operates an extensive network, including 14 weekly flights to both China and India. Wake said it is considering new Asian destinations such as Malaysia and South Korea. It also is evaluating additional US routes including New York JFK, Atlanta or even a West Coast destination. It currently serves Washington Dulles.

He noted that ET faces stiff competition from non-African airlines within Africa. “Carriers like Emirates and Qatar are fighting like crazy across the continent,” he said. “But so far there is business for everyone.”

Wake expects ET to grow passenger traffic at the rate of 20% annually. Currently, 60%-70% of its passengers transfer through its Addis Ababa hub. It expects to transport around 3 million passengers this year, up from 2.8 million last year. Cargo remains an important part of its business, generating 18% of total revenue. He said it is considering operating 777 freighters “in the future.”

Human Ancestor Ethiopian ‘Lucy’ Walked Upright 3.2 Million Years Ago

By LiveScience Staff :

The discovery of a new hominid skeleton in Ethiopia shows that the human ancestor represented by the famed “Lucy” walked on two legs rather than moving like a knuckle dragger, researchers say.

Anthropologists have long debated whether the short-statured female Lucy typically walked upright or not. She had represented the only known skeleton ofAustralopithecus afarensis, and would have stood at a height of 3.5 feet (about a meter) some 3.2 million years ago.

But the second partial skeleton, named “Kadanuumuu” (“big man” in the Afar language), has both the shoulders and long legs that compare well to modern humans, according to Yohannes Haile-Selassie, curator and head of physical anthropology at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History in Ohio.

“It’s only the second partial skeleton of A. afarensis to be recovered; it’s 400,000 years older than Lucy and it’s male,” Haile-Selassie said. “But just as important, the fossil remains provide conclusive proof that A. afarensis could walk upright freely without the use of its hands.”

Kadanuumuu lived even earlier than Lucy around 3.6 million years ago, but would have towered over the smaller female at a height of 5 to 5.5 feet (1.5 to 1.7 m) tall. His legs and arms look proportionally similar to that of modern humans.

The new skeleton contains most of the parts found in Lucy, along with previously unknown pieces, such as much of the rib cage and a nearly complete adult shoulder blade.

“Kadanuumuu’s shoulder was also a major discovery,” Haile-Selassie noted. “It shows that our ancestor’s shoulder blade and rib cage were much more similar to those of modern humans than previously had been thought.”

The older, bigger brother to Lucy appears to match well with fossilized footprints that also date back to 3.6 million years ago in Laetoli, Tanzania. That eastern African site shows that early human ancestors regularly walked upright, without knuckle-dragging impressions or unusually spread toes.

Renowned Ethiopian fossil hunter Alemayehu Asfaw found the first part of Kadanuumuu in February 2005 at Korsi Dora, about 210 miles (nearly 340 kilometers) northeast of the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

Later excavations by an international team between 2005 and 2008 turned up an upper arm, collarbone, neck bones, ribs, pelvis, sacrum, a thighbone, a shinbone and the shoulder blade. The discoveries came as part of the Woranso-Mille Project that has been ongoing since 2004.

Researchers published their early findings in this week’s issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and hope to continue revealing more about the skeleton officially designated KSD-VP-1/1.

Ethiopia is witnessing the birth of a new ocean, according to scientists at the Royal Society.

A 60km crack opened in Ethiopia in 2005 and has been expanding ever since

By Matt McGrath
BBC News Science reporter

Africa is witnessing the birth of a new ocean, according to scientists at the Royal Society.

Geologists working in the remote Afar region of Ethiopia say the ocean will eventually split the African continent in two, though it will take about 10 million years.

Lead researcher Tim Wright who is presenting the research at the Royal Society’s Summer Exhibition, described the events as “truly incredible”.

Used to understanding changes in the planet on timescales of millions of years, the international team of scientists including Dr Wright have seen amazing changes in Afar in the past five years, where the continent is cracking open, quite literally underneath their feet.

In 2005, a 60km long stretch of the earth opened up to a width of eight metres over a period of just ten days.

Hot, molten rock from deep within the Earth is trickling to the surface and creating the split.

Underground eruptions are still continuing and, ultimately, the horn of Africa will fall away and a new ocean will form.

‘A smaller Africa’

Dr James Hammond, a seismologist from the University of Bristol – who has been working in Afar – says that parts of the region are below sea level and the ocean is only cut off by about a 20-metre block of land in Eritrea.

“Eventually this will drift apart,” he told the BBC World Service. “The sea will flood in and will start to create this new ocean.

“It will pull apart, sink down deeper and deeper and eventually… parts of southern Ethiopia, Somalia will drift off, create a new island, and we’ll have a smaller Africa and a very big island that floats out into the Indian Ocean.”

The researchers say that they are extremely lucky to be able to witness the birth of this ocean as the process is normally hidden beneath the seas.

The team hope to conduct experiments in the area that will help understand how the surface of the Earth is shaped.

They believe that the information they glean from observing the shaping of the Earth will help scientists better understand natural hazards such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Ethiopian Airlines graduates 19 pilots

Ethiopian graduates 19 pilots

July 16, 2010 — The Ethiopian Aviation Academy of the Ethiopian Airlines graduated 19 pilots Thursday after completing a two year commercial pilot course in instrument and Multi Engine Ratings.

Some eight of the graduates are from Chad, Congo Brazzaville, DR Congo Kinshasa, Kenya and Italy.

On the occasion, School Manager Capt. Lemma Tekalign said the trainees have received class instruction and practical flight training both on single and Multi–Engine trainer aircrafts and in the flight training devices.

He said they have also attended International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) English proficiency requirement.

Ethiopian Chief Executive Officer, Girma Wake handed over diplomas to the graduates and prizes to outstanding trainees.

Established in 1964 G.C. the school has so far graduated 900 pilots including the present batch.

Some 584 of the total graduates are Ethiopians and 316 foreigners from different countries mainly from Africa, the Middle East and few from Asia and Europe.

It was noted that the academy plays a pivotal role in the development of commercial aviation in Africa through the training of pilots, aircrafts technicians, cabin staff and other professionals.

(ENA)

U.S. Embassy Addis Ababa: 2012 Diversity Visa Lottery Begins on October 5, 2010

2012 Diversity Visa Lottery Begins on October 5, 2010

U.S. Embassy Addis Ababa, September 30, 2010: The Embassy of the United States of America today announced that the beginning of the 2012 Diversity Visa
(DV) Lottery application season. Applications for the 2012 DV Program
will be accepted from October 5 to November 3, 2010. Applicants may
access the electronic Diversity Visa entry form (E-DV) at
www.dvlottery.state.gov during the registration period. Paper entries
will not be accepted. Applicants are strongly encouraged not to wait
until the last week of the registration period to enter as heavy demand
may result in website delays. No entries will be accepted after noon,
Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), on November 3, 2010.

The annual DV program makes visas available to persons meeting the
simple, but strict, eligibility requirements. Every DV lottery entrant
must have at least a high school education or its equivalent or have,
within the past five years, two years of work experience in an
occupation requiring at least three years’ training or experience.
Applicants who do not meet the educational or work experience
requirement will be disqualified.

A computer-generated, random lottery drawing chooses selectees for
Diversity Visas. The visas are distributed among six geographic regions
globally, with a greater number of visas going to regions with lower
rates of immigration, and with no visas going to nationals of countries
sending more than 50,000 immigrants to the U.S. over the past five
years. Within each region, no single country may receive more than
seven percent of the available Diversity Visas in any one year.

In Fiscal Year (FY) 2010, the Department of State received more than 12
million entries for the DV lottery program. Of that number some 100,000
entrants were selected worldwide, including 5,200 Ethiopians, to further
pursue a Diversity Visa. In FY 2010, the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia issued more than 3,600 visas through the DV program.

The congressionally mandated Diversity Immigrant Visa Program is
administered on an annual basis by the Department of State and conducted
under the terms of Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act
(INA). Beginning in 2005, the Department of State implemented an
electronic registration system in order to make the DV process more
efficient and secure. Special technology and other means are used to
identify those who commit fraud for the purposes of illegal immigration
or those who submit multiple entries.

One significant change from previous years is that all entrants for the
2012 DV program will only find out the status of their entry online on
the E-DV website Entry Status Check. The online Entry Status Check
will be the ONLY means by which selectees will be notified of their
selection for DV-2012. The State Department will not be mailing out
notification letters, nor will the Department send an email to those
selected.

For detailed information about entry requirements, along with frequently
asked questions about the DV lottery, please see the instructions for
the DV-2012 Diversity Visa lottery on the Department’s Consular Affairs
Website at www.dvlottery.state.gov. For information about the visa
process in Ethiopia, please visit the U.S. Embassy’s website at
www.ethiopia.usembassy.gov. PDF

Ethiopian Airlines appoints its first female captain

Addis Ababa, October 15 (WIC) – Ethiopian Airlines on Thursday officially appointed its first female commercial flight captain.

According to a press release issued by Ethiopian, Captain Amsale proudly took off her first flight from the left hand seat of the flight deck of a Q-400 aircraft from Addis Ababa to Gondar then to Axum and finally returned back to Addis Ababa after a total of 3.6 flight hours.

Captain Amsale joined Ethiopian Airlines Pilot Training School on July 10, 2000 and started her career as first officer on November 26, 2002.

Since then, she has trained and worked on Fokker-50, 757 and 767 aircraft as first officer. Captain Amsale has been able to complete successfully all the necessary training requirements and passed through rigorous checks to gain her four stripes.

She has a total of 4475 flight hours under her belt when she becomes the commander-in-chief of her flight.

Tewolde Gebre Mariam, Designate Chief Executive Officer of the airline, families and friends of Captain Amsale warmly welcomed her at the Addis Ababa International Airport on her return flight from Axum.

During the occasion, Tewolde said, “We congratulate Captain Amsale on her outstanding achievement. Captain Amsale deserves the recognition as she has demonstrated tremendous dedication to reach the pinnacle.”

In her brief statement to the audience of staff, friends and family members Captain Amsale said, “It is a great privilege to become the first female captain of the national carrier. I have been trained and passed through various ladders at Ethiopian Airlines. The company has been very supportive of my efforts to realize my vision of becoming a captain.”

Ethiopian currently has four female pilots working as first officers.

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