Ethiopian Airlines (ET, Addis Ababa International) and the South Sudanese government have reportedly firmed up a 2023 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a long-sought national carrier for the landlocked Central/East African county, according to news reports from both countries.
Ethiopian Airlines was not immediately available for comment.
According to reports by Juba-based Eye Radio and Addis Insight in Ethiopia, Ethiopian Airlines has secured a management deal with the South Sudanese government to establish and operate the country's national carrier. The 2023 MoU was formalised between South Sudan's Transport Minister Madut Biar and Ethiopian Ambassador Nabil Mahdi at a meeting on November 7 in Juba.
Ethiopian Airlines will help South Sudan establish its airline by providing technical support, training, and management. This includes managing South Sudan's airspace, which is currently transitioning from Sudanese control.
Biar highlighted that the benefits South Sudan would gain from Ethiopian Airlines' experience particularly include airline operations and personnel training. The move is seen as critical in advancing the country's post-conflict development, promising improved air connectivity, job creation, and economic integration.
Since gaining independence in 2011, South Sudan has harboured ambitions for a national airline, but plans have faced headwinds due to political instability and civil conflict. It has seen a variety of startups with South Supreme Airlines (Juba), owned by startup tycoon Ayii Duang Ayii, the most prominent. Following a tender process in 2012, Atlasjet Airlines (Antalya) was initially chosen as the preferred partner to help establish a new national carrier for South Sudan, but the Turkish airline withdrew from the project in early 2013.
Talks about a joint venture with Ethiopian Airlines were first reported in 2014, when then CEO Tewolde Gebremariam told the Wall Street Journal that his airline would hold a 49% stake, with Juba owning the remaining 51%. In 2019, Eye Radio reported that SSP100 million South Sudanese pounds (at the time, USD768,000) had been allocated to fund studies into the project, dubbed South Sudan Airways (Juba).
Domestic connectivity in South Sudan is currently carried out by private carrier Kush Air (Juba), while ADS-B data shows that regional connectivity is provided by Badr Airlines, Alfa Airlines SD, Fanjet Express, i-Fly Air, Premier Airlines, Astral Aviation, Safe Air, Uganda Airlines, EgyptAir, Ethiopian Airlines, and Kenya Airways, among others. Turkish Airlines provides intercontinental connectivity. According to the ch-aviation capacities module, Ethiopian holds a more-than-30% market share at Juba in terms of weekly seat capacity.
The move in South Sudan will further strengthen Ethiopia Airlines' position in African aviation, expanding its influence and enhancing regional air networks. It is in line with recent statements by CEO Mesfin Tasew Bekele that the airline is talking to several African states about joint venture subsidiaries.
The move also aligns with the airline's 15-year Vision 2025 plan to establish multiple African hubs and provide feeder services to its Addis Ababa International hub. Existing joint venture subsidiaries include ASKY Airlines in Togo, DR Congo startup Air Congo, Zambia Airways, and Air Malawi. Ethiopian Mozambique Airlines has suspended operations, while joint venture attempts in Nigeria (Nigeria Air), Ghana, and Guinea were unsuccessful.
