The Embassy of the Czech Republic in Addis Ababa confirmed that Ambassador-Designate Jan Rouček met Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Mesfin Tasew on 5 October 2026 to discuss launching direct flights—or at least a one-stop triangular service—between Addis Ababa and Prague. Ethiopian Airlines already serves more than 60 international destinations and wants to strengthen its Central-European footprint beyond Vienna and Warsaw. Czech officials pitched Václav Havel Airport Prague as a cost-competitive alternative hub with rising long-haul traffic and a sizeable African diaspora market—including students and business travellers—from Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya who now route via Frankfurt or Istanbul. The delegation highlighted airport incentives, cooperation on aircraft-maintenance contracts with Czech aerospace suppliers, and training packages offered by the Czech aviation-college network. Direct connectivity would cut current door-to-door journey times by up to six hours and provide multinational employers with smoother crew rotation for projects in sub-Saharan Africa. For Czech exporters, especially in the rail-infrastructure and brewing-equipment sectors that are expanding in Ethiopia, a nonstop flight would reduce freight lead-times for critical spare parts. Negotiations will continue over the winter IATA season. Should the route materialise, mobility managers should brief travellers on Addis Ababa’s e-visa and Business Visa on Arrival processes, and review tax-equalisation policies because Ethiopia taxes certain short-term technical assignments from day one. Czech authorities, meanwhile, may need to update bilateral air-services agreements dating back to 2001 to accommodate passenger rights and slot allocations. The talks also touched on broader aviation cooperation, such as joint MRO projects and simulator-training exchanges, signalling that Prague aims to position itself as an aviation-services gateway for African carriers looking to expand into Central Europe.
