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Beginning from November, Africa’s largest airline, Ethiopian Airlines, will have Chinese cabin crew on its flights to Asia. Ethiopian Airlines flies to 91 international destinations, including flights to Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Guangzhou. Last month it also commenced flights to Yaounde, the Cameroonian capital, as its second destination in Cameroon.  
 
One of Africa’s fastest expanding airlines, Ethiopian Airlines was founded in 1945 and currently employs over 550 pilots. About 30 young Chinese recruits are being trained in Ethiopia at the airline’s Aviation Academy. The airline operates the only training center in Africa with a Boeing 787 simulator, and trains pilots, technicians and flight crew of other nationalities.
 
CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, Tewolde Gebremariam, said “Asia and particularly China is our focus. This is our biggest market.” China has overtaken the United States and Europe as Africa’s trading partner, with huge investments across the continent including Ethiopia, where China recently completed Ethiopia’s light rail project that was largely funded by China’s Exim Bank.
 
Making the case for the Chinese crew on its Asia-bound flights, the CEO said “90 percent of passengers flying to China don’t speak English.” Gebremariam added that they need a team that speaks their language so that they can understand the safety instructions.

Ethiopian Airlines has 77 aircrafts in its fleet. Since 2010, the airline has acquired 32 new aircrafts, including several 787 Dreamliners, Boeing's flagship aircraft. In 2014, Ethiopian Airlines recorded six million passengers and aims to overtake its rivals, EgyptAir and South African Airways.

Ethiopia has recently become a preferred investment destination in Africa. In July, U.S. President Barack Obama met Ethiopian Prime Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, in Addis Ababa, marking the first sitting American president to visit the Horn of African nation. Much of the investment in Ethiopia is said to be driven by a business friendly government. This marks a significant departure from a country that was in need of global aid due its 1984/85 famine for which Irish musician, Bob Geldof, put Ethiopia on the world map with the Live Aid concert to bring the world's attention to malnourishment and abject suffering in the country.