Ethiopian Airlines inaugural flight from Nigeria ‘significant’ Loop Barbados

Ethiopian Airlines touched down on Barbadian soil for the first time on Wednesday to much fanfare.

The inaugural flight which departed from Lagos, Nigeria arrived at the Grantley Adams International Airport around 10:30 am carrying 103 passengers.

The passengers who are slated to attend the upcoming AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF2022) at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre from September 1-3 2022, were greeted on the tarmac by Minister of State for Foreign Trade and Business Development Sandra Husbands, Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc (BTMI) chief executive officer Jens Thraenhart, Kaye Brathwaite chief executive officer of Invest Barbados and other officials.

Speaking to the media, Minister Husbands asserted that this flight was significant to Barbados and the Caribbean because it facilitated the opportunity to export and import goods and services with the Africa continent.

“This inaugural flight that has brought in all of these delegates from Nigeria and a couple of other African countries is significant for the Caribbean and in particular Barbados.”

“Barbados and the Caribbean has been pursuing this self trade policy because we recognize that if we are going to be able to build large enterprises, we need to be able to engage markets that have the capacity to purchase our goods and who are willing to accept our goods and at the same time provide us with the opportunity to purchase goods and services from others.”

BTMI CEO Jens Thraenhart highlighted the importance of the inaugural flight, noting that it signified the building of a closer relationship with Africa.

“I think this is a historical moment as we said, after 1966 which was the first time that a plane from Ethiopian Airlines has touched in Barbados so we’re very thrilled about that and I think that’s just a start of building a closer relationship with Africa and the various nations of Africa.”

He added: “There is alot of heritage that connects Barbados and the African continents especially West Africa so this conference has fundamental importance with respect to strengthening these ties.”