THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
Ethiopian Airlines will resume direct flights between Addis Ababa and Durban from 11 December 2026, creating a new travel option for passengers from Germany and other European markets travelling to South Africa via the airline’s Addis Ababa hub.
The Ethiopian flag carrier announced on 29 September that it will operate the Durban service daily, making the South African city its third destination in the country, alongside Johannesburg and Cape Town. The airline says the route is intended to strengthen business, tourism and trade links between Durban, Africa and its wider international network.
The new service will operate as ET889, departing Addis Ababa Bole International Airport at 08:35 and arriving at Durban’s King Shaka International Airport at 13:25. The return flight, ET888, will leave Durban at 14:15 and arrive in Addis Ababa at 21:00. The flights are scheduled daily.
The route is particularly relevant to travellers in Germany because Ethiopian Airlines operates a daily Frankfurt–Addis Ababa service. Current schedules show the Frankfurt flight departing in the evening, allowing passengers to connect through Addis Ababa to Durban. Ethiopian Airlines is already selling Frankfurt–Addis Ababa tickets for December 2026 on its German website.
From Addis Ababa, Durban passengers will also have onward connections to destinations across Africa, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and North America. Durban tourism authorities say the new service will provide access to more than 130 destinations through Ethiopian Airlines’ network, with cities including Frankfurt, London, Paris, Mumbai, Delhi and Washington among the potential one-stop connections.
The service will be operated with a Boeing 737 MAX. For Durban, the return of Ethiopian Airlines is significant: the carrier previously operated the route but suspended it in 2017. Its return restores a direct air link between KwaZulu-Natal and one of Africa’s major aviation hubs.
Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Mesfin Tasew said the airline expects the service to facilitate greater trade, tourism and business links through its Addis Ababa hub.
For travellers in Germany, the new route means that Durban will become another South African destination accessible through Ethiopian Airlines’ Frankfurt–Addis Ababa network, with bookings already open.
Vivian Asamoah
