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Maxwell Photography

You will see a lot more of this at Dublin Airport this year*

*The plane, not dancers in African costume on the tarmac.

ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES WILL shift its European hub to Dublin, lifting the number of its transatlantic flights through the airport to 16 per week within a few months.

The African carrier will use the airport as a refuelling hub for its flights from Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to both Washington and Toronto from May.

However the landings will be a transit stop for refuelling only – which means its fleet of Boeing 777s and 787s won’t be dropping off or picking up passengers. It previously used Rome as its European base.

The airline earlier announced it was launching a new route from Addis Ababa to Los Angeles via Dublin this summer after it was granted fifth-freedom rights in Ireland for those flights.

That means the carrier can sell the two legs of the journey on individual tickets, enabling passengers to board in the Republic for its flights to the US west coast. The new route and the return leg to the African city are due to start on 20 June.

ETHIOPIAN D LINER NEW SERV DUB MAX-2 Maxwell Photography Maxwell Photography

Good business

Dublin Airport managing director Vincent Harrison said the refuelling deal was a “significant piece of business” for the hub and it would help to deepen the relationship with Ethiopian Airlines.

A number of other European airports were bidding for this contract, so it’s particularly pleasing to have won it,” he said.

Dublin Airport will have 21 new routes this year, including 10 to Europe, five to Britain, four transatlantic flights and two to Africa.

Ethiopian Airlines is Africa’s largest airline by fleet size, although it hasn’t been without controversy in recent years.

One of the airline’s new 787 Dreamliners caught fire at London’s Heathrow Airport in 2013, while last year a co-pilot hijacked his own plane and forced it to land in Geneva. The man said he felt threatened in his own country and wanted to seek asylum in Switzerland.

READ: Peaceful protest to take place at Dublin Airport >

READ: Aer Lingus bosses will share in millions if a sale goes ahead >

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55 Comments
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    Mute Marty Flood
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    Apr 16th 2015, 3:27 PM

    The pre-clearance in Dublin/Shannon is simply unbeatable. Market the s#!t out of that and a lot more airlines will stop off in Dublin.

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    Mute RonanM
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    Apr 16th 2015, 3:31 PM

    Not using pre clearance

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    Mute brian magee
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    Apr 16th 2015, 3:34 PM

    Not being used

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    Mute Gerard
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    Apr 17th 2015, 2:55 AM

    COULDN’T use preclearance. There are already passengers on the plane from Ethiopia, remember?

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    Mute Clark Griswold
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    Apr 16th 2015, 4:15 PM

    Return flights to LAX for €650 in the middle of August you can’t beat that!

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    Mute Declan
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    Apr 16th 2015, 5:45 PM

    I was very fortunate to fly on Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner from Frankfurt to Addis Return. Economy class down & in business class on the return leg. The state if the art aircraft is ideal for long haul and the airline itself offered tasty meals, great Ethiopian beer & Ethiopian coffee. Airline crew were top class! It’s a full schedule airline offering a generous baggage allowance. Great connections are available from Addis to exotic locations such as Zanzibar or for the more adventurous – Kilimanjaro! The route really is the best of both worlds! Flying west to LA or South down to the heart of Africa!

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    Mute eric nelligan
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    Apr 16th 2015, 9:34 PM

    Haha Welcome to the Journal.ie Mr PR rep for Ethiopian airlines

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    Mute Declan Hughes
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    Apr 17th 2015, 1:19 PM

    Ha ha. I’m not a PR rep for Ethiopian Airlines Eric. I’m just totally addicted to travel and aviation. I attended the first ever Swahili International Tourism Expo in Dar Es-Salaam, Tanzania on behalf of the travel website http://www.FlyCruiseStay.com and flew with Ethiopian Airlines.

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    Mute David adams
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    May 10th 2015, 3:29 PM

    Good for you. I too am crazy about flying but I never get the chance these days.

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    Mute CitizenSmith©
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    Apr 16th 2015, 3:12 PM

    Well done DAA, genuinely well done.

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    Mute Top Cat
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    Apr 16th 2015, 3:12 PM

    Christ almighty that’s all we need.

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    Mute RonanM
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    Apr 16th 2015, 3:14 PM

    Why?

    Not sure you full read the article!

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    Mute Simon
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    Apr 16th 2015, 3:16 PM

    I know a racist when I see one

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    Mute J. Dunn
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    Apr 16th 2015, 3:18 PM

    That’s a particularly prejudicial statement, Simon.

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    Mute Luke D
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    Apr 16th 2015, 3:21 PM

    Stupid comment, There’s a lot of growth potential in Africa……

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    Mute RonanM
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    Apr 16th 2015, 3:24 PM

    He probably holds the double Irish view on racism

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    Mute Snorri Sturleson
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    Apr 16th 2015, 4:24 PM

    Mirrors are a wonderful invention.

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    Mute Shane Walsh
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    Apr 16th 2015, 3:10 PM

    That is pretty awesome news.

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    Mute Shane Walsh
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    Apr 16th 2015, 3:32 PM

    OK well I guess it is not good news for Vincent Harrison then lol

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    Mute Mr. Dave
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    Apr 16th 2015, 3:22 PM

    All the while the DAA leave Cork Airport to rot. More flights lost there this week.

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    Mute RonanM
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    Apr 16th 2015, 3:24 PM

    Wasn’t the daa fault that the airlines decided to move them. You cant force carriers to keep routes!

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    Mute Mr. Dave
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    Apr 16th 2015, 3:28 PM

    Cork is saddled with a huge debt under the DAA, while Shannon got a debt write down and was allowed operated(and charge its own landing fees etc) The reason airlines are moving from Cork are the high parking costs for airports. If politicians kept their election promise then Cork would have had a debt write down along with Shannons and be allowed operate free from the DAA.

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    Mute Mr. Dave
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    Apr 16th 2015, 3:34 PM

    *parking costs for aircraft, not airports

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    Mute brian magee
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    Apr 16th 2015, 3:37 PM

    The motorway to Dublin is the cause of corks demise. There far more options only 2.5 hr drive away

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    Mute Mike
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    Apr 16th 2015, 3:44 PM

    Landing fees at cork are cheaper than Dublin.

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    Mute Mike
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    Apr 16th 2015, 3:50 PM
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    Mute Mike
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    Apr 16th 2015, 3:56 PM

    Cork airport had debts of €220 million. Cork airport has to pay €100 million of this for its new terminal. Dublin airport is paying the remaining €120 million of Cork airport debts.

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    Mute Mr. Dave
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    Apr 16th 2015, 4:17 PM

    Ya, but to park an aircraft at the airport is €26 every half hour

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    Mute Mike
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    Apr 16th 2015, 4:21 PM

    €35 at Dublin airport for 15 minutes.

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    Mute Mike
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    Apr 16th 2015, 4:23 PM

    Up to €35 every 15 minutes. €28 every 15 minutes for smaller aircraft.

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    Mute Mike
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    Apr 16th 2015, 4:37 PM

    Shannon airport charge up to €33 for 30 minutes.

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    Mute China Photo Daily
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    Apr 16th 2015, 4:42 PM

    Ignoring the fact that the DAA wouldn’t let Ryanair use the old terminal and as retaliation Ryanair priced competition out of Cork and then left the routes themselves. The DAA also wont let Cork open transatlantic routes to protect Shannon. Shannon was allowed to leave the DAA and has thrived since, while Cork remains saddled and is shrinking in passenger numbers every year. Despite all of this, Cork still does more numbers every year than Shannon. No idea why the Government see’s Shannon as the priority when Cork is clearly the more viable airport?

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    Mute Michael Sands
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    Apr 16th 2015, 5:49 PM

    So €52 a hour then lol.

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    Mute Irish Cottage Rental
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    Apr 16th 2015, 6:39 PM

    The challenge is that for our population (the whole island) there’s probably only capacity for three significant airports in Ireland – a) Dublin, b) Belfast/ northern counties and c) Munster and the west. The motorway network has changed the issue from distance to airports to time from airports. Passengers vote with their feet – hence for example the huge number of passengers from the North using Dublin. There isn’t a coherent all Ireland airport strategy. For example Belfast has two airports – neither of which is doing particularly well and both losing traffic to Dublin. Meanwhile it’s hard to see how both Cork and Shannon can thrive when both are now also relatively easy drives from Dublin.
    Regardless local loyalities and politics will set the agenda rather than any coherent strategy.

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    Mute China Photo Daily
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    Apr 16th 2015, 8:50 PM

    Most people in Cork have no issue going to Dublin for trips to the West Coast, the Middle East or less popular European links. The issue is the ludicrous situation that has transatlantic traffic to the East Coast blocked, Cork airport being used as a pawn for a DAA dispute with Ryanair and clear preference being shown to Shannon by the government despite Cork continuing to be the more popular airport. Having to drive from the second city, with the second biggest airport and the second biggest economy (with huge US links) to rural Co. Clare to go to New York or Boston is a joke. Only in Ireland….

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    Mute Steve OHerlihy
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    Apr 16th 2015, 9:35 PM

    These are ‘list’ prices – Ryanair and others negotiate better terms with the DAA, negotiating for Cork fees are not allowed because the DAA want them to pay their debt. Unlike SNN gets a yearly government subsidy to allow extremely competitive fees, plus their €100m debt was cleared. Therefore airlines are moving slots from ORK to SNN…

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    Mute Steve OHerlihy
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    Apr 16th 2015, 9:47 PM

    Assuming no road works in Newlands Cross and the M50 is free flowing (as it always is… NOT) 3 to 4hrs depending on the time you hit Dublin

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    Mute Mark Nolan
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    Apr 16th 2015, 11:21 PM

    Do you actually think there is demand for transatlantic flights ex Cork? If Shannon wasn’t around there is the possibility there would be but at the moment, not a hope!

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    Mute Irish Cottage Rental
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    Apr 17th 2015, 12:05 AM

    New York and Boston flights from Cork are unlikely to be viable when Dublin is such a relatively short drive from most of Munster. It’s the same from Belfast – Dublin is Irelands transatlantic hub because we only have a total population of just over 6 million people. That’s the reality. It’s the same all over Europe – you just don’t have transatlantic flights from every airport. France as an example – Paris is the hub with relatively limited transatlantic from the likes of Lyon, Nice and Toulouse and they have a population of almost 60 million. Simply put a 3 hour drive to a transatlantic airport is normal across most of Europe.

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    Mute China Photo Daily
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    Apr 17th 2015, 11:34 AM

    There is a huge demand for Transatlantic flights from Cork, it’s the second biggest population centre and it’s being blocked by the DAA because the loss of the Cork and South East traffic from Shannon would really hurt the airport. It’s not about Dublin……

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    Mute Irish Cottage Rental
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    Apr 28th 2015, 9:00 AM

    South East transatlantic traffic goes to Dublin – it’s almost all motorway. That’s the reality of what our road network has done to air traffic. In an all island market for transatlantic air services it’s simply naive to think that we can have 4 transatlantic airports serving a population of a little over six million people with daily transatlantic flights. It’s the same all over Western Europe.

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    Mute Drew
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    Apr 16th 2015, 3:51 PM

    Interesting…

    So they have fifth freedom rights for their flight to LAX.

    But not fifth freedom rights for their Washington and Toronto routes, one would assume that has something to with the fact that Aer Lingus is a competitor on those two very lucrative routes.

    Any other country and an investigation into anti competitive practices and industry collusion would be called for.

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    Mute Darren Lawlor
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    Apr 16th 2015, 3:57 PM

    ….except of course for the fact that Aer Lingus already face competition on both these routes from United and Air Canada Rouge.

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    Mute FlyB
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    Apr 16th 2015, 4:21 PM

    Thence the swiftly reopened Aer Lingus Dublin -Washington route. The earlier comments about pre-clearance are spot on correct.

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    Mute Mark Nolan
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    Apr 16th 2015, 4:28 PM

    They didn’t have fifth freedom rights from Rome either!

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    Mute Drew
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    Apr 16th 2015, 4:32 PM

    United and Air Canada that are star alliance members and code-share with Ethiopian airlines.

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    Mute Gerard
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    Apr 17th 2015, 3:01 AM

    The article doesn’t say they requested it and were denied.

    There is certainly a higher cost to providing a stopover because you have to pay the airport for baggage handling and use of the gate etc.

    They may well have deemed the costs of doing so to be greater than any money they might make. If they’re operating a service that can take 300 passengers (for example) and each flight averages 295 why add all those additional charges for the sake of five tickets?

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    Mute Dsl
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    Apr 16th 2015, 6:48 PM

    I’m sure these flights from Africa will bring and take more drugs and refugees that we don’t need !!

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    Mute Mark Nolan
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    Apr 16th 2015, 11:23 PM

    Ridiculous statement, if you’d have even read the article you’d know no one boards or deboards on the Toronto & Washington fuel stops!

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    Mute Damien Moran
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    Apr 16th 2015, 3:13 PM

    lol

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    Mute Frederick Constant
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    Apr 16th 2015, 4:08 PM

    Par for the course round these here parts.

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