Ethiopian Airlines has postponed the launch of service between Addis Ababa and Istanbul, to to March 4, 2019. The service had been originally planned for December 5, 2018.

According to a statement from the airline, the postponement is due to the delay in the issuance of operating permit and landing slots by Turkish Aviation Authorities. 

Ethiopian Airlines had duly finalized all preparations to start the Istanbul flights and regrets this unexpected delay. In the statement, it apologized to its customers for the inconvenience.

Ethiopian Airlines is the largest and fastest growing Airline in Africa. With the youngest and most modern fleet in Africa, it flies to more than 117 international destinations across five continents.

The airline's fleet includes ultramodern and environmentally friendly aircraft such as Airbus A350, Boeing 787, Boeing 777, Boeing 737 MAX and Bombardier Q-400.