Ethiopian Airlines laments fuel disruption

Ethiopian Airlines says the Middle East crisis is disrupting jet-fuel supplies and leaving some passengers stranded, even as it opens a new cargo route into Scotland. (opinionnigeria.com) (glasgowprestwick.com) The airline’s chief executive, Mesfin Tasew, said in Lagos that the conflict has hit aviation through fuel shortages and passenger disruption in some countries. Ethiopian has kept operating while warning that the pressure is spreading across the sector. (opinionnigeria.com) (corporate.ethiopianairlines.com) At the same time, Glasgow Prestwick Airport said Ethiopian launched scheduled cargo flights from Hong Kong this week. The service runs every Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday. (glasgowprestwick.com) (aircargonews.net) Prestwick chief executive Ian Forgie said the flights expand the airport’s e-commerce operation, with Hong Kong becoming a key inbound gateway. Ethiopian said the route also gives Scottish exporters new links into South Korea and Vietnam. (glasgowprestwick.com) (aircargoweek.com) The split-screen is stark: Ethiopian is adding long-haul freight capacity in Britain while still managing fallout from a regional crisis centered on the Gulf and Middle East. That means the carrier is trying to protect cargo growth even as fuel logistics and passenger flows stay unstable. (glasgowprestwick.com) (ebc.et) Tasew said on March 31 that no Ethiopian flights had been cancelled because of fuel shortages, but he also said the conflict had initially disrupted flights to eight countries and 11 cities. Services to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Amman had resumed by then, while Doha, Tel Aviv and Beirut remained suspended for safety reasons. (ebc.et) The fuel strain is not limited to airlines. Ethiopia’s government said on March 31 it was imposing priority measures to stabilize national fuel supply after the Middle East conflict disrupted international supply chains. (ebc.et 1) (ebc.et 2) For Prestwick, the new route is part of a larger cargo push. The airport said its Terminal E facility handled 25 million parcels by February, and industry reports said the Ethiopian service could help facilitate up to GBP 250 million in cross-border trade. (aircargonews.net) (ajot.com) Ethiopian’s own travel pages still carry an “Update on Middle East Flights,” a sign that the disruption is active enough to warrant customer notices. The airline is expanding its network and warning passengers at the same time. (ethiopianairlines.com)