Ethiopian Airlines has signed an interline agreement with South African private regional airline Airlink, it said in a statement on Thursday. “As part of our continued commitment and efforts to extend our service beyond our vast network in Africa, we are pleased to strengthen our cooperation and add Airlink to our list of growing partners,” said his CEO Tewolde Gebremariam.
With South Africa representing the continent’s largest market, the implementation of this interline agreement will facilitate travelers’ access to South African regional airports, he added.
Airlink, based in Johannesburg, is South Africa’s main air service between small towns and large airports. The national carrier South African Airways (SAA), recently emerging from a 17-month commercial rescue, resumed a few national and regional routes last month, with a fleet reduced to just 6 planes instead of 46. After surviving for many decades thanks to government bailouts, it had shut down lines even before the coronavirus hit, then signed a deal with Kenya Airways last month with the long-term goal of creating a pan-African airline.