Ethiopian Airlines has finalized plans to start nonstop direct services between Addis Ababa and Sao Paulo, Brazil with effective from 16 September, 2017, the airline has announced.

As with the current four-weekly service operated via Lome -Tokoin Airport, Togo, the non-stop flight will be operated using a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft.

Ethiopian Airlines' Boeing 787-8 is configured with 270 seats including 24 angle-flat business class seats and 246 economy class seats.

Flight ET 0506 will depart Addis Ababa by 9:30 on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and arrive Sao Paulo by 16:15 local time. Flight ET 0507 will leave Sao Paulo by 1:35 on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays and arrive Addis Ababa by 20:00 local time.

Sao Paulo, the biggest city in the southern hemisphere of Brazil, is the economic and financial hub of the country hosting the headquarters of numerous major corporations.

According to CEO, Ethiopian Airlines, Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam, the airline will in December, add a fifth weekly flight which will enable tourists and business travelers enjoy more connectivity options.

Ethiopian Airlines first launched a three-weekly service to Sao Paulo, Brazil in July, 2013 with a stop in Lome, West Africa, coordinating its schedules with its partner airline in West Africa, ASKY, to give seamless and convenient connections.

Brazil is the largest national economy in South America with diversified economy including agriculture, industry, and a wide range of services such as ecotourism, leisure and cultural tourism.