Q4. How and why did Ethiopian Airlines stand out during the COVID-19 pandemic
Like any other airline, Ethiopian Airlines was very much affected by the pandemic but according to the Mme. Bezawit Mengesha, the company’s brilliance and collective team effort made them to standout during this pandemic. One of the smartest moves made by Ethiopian Airways was to re-strengthen the areas where most of the other airlines were lagging in. Therefore, they had to put more focus on cargo, whose demand significantly increased due to the restriction in movement of people from one area to the other. This gave the Airline the chance to fight the pandemic while still making revenue. It helped the company to generate more revenue and not cut down worker’s salaries. The shift of attention to cargo made the company to convert most commercial aircrafts to cargo carriers. Since other airlines had shut down during this period, Ethiopian airlines snatched that opportunity to offer services to them. The company equally has Skylight Hotel, which helped to generate revenue during the pandemic. The airline was also very much involved in transporting pharmaceuticals to most parts of the world during this pandemic.
Q5. What challenges has the Country Manager (Mme. Bezawit Mengesha) faced?
Having been in Cameroon for three years in Yaoundé and now living in Douala, it was of interest to us to know what challenges she faced as Country Manager and how she handled them.
Mme. Bezawit Mengesha indicated that some of the challenges she faced were business challenges such as; how to improve customer service and other businesses strategies which she and the team have been able to manage very well. Not surprisingly, she highlighted that the pandemic was the biggest of these challenges. How she battled these challenges was made possible by how welcoming Cameroonians have been towards her and the ease in which she has been able to work with the team contrary to many beliefs and fears she had before making a move to Cameroon.
She didn’t hesitate to praise Cameroonian delicacies and mentioned “Miondo” as her favorite meal from Cameroon. She equally praised Cameroon, which she now considers as her second home, as being very supportive to women emancipation and empowerment, which are things not usually seen in most African countries.
Join us in celebrating this elite African aviation company for their input in easing transportation from one part of the world to the other and for their stellar customer service.
This exclusive interview was conducted by Biradzem Benoit Yuven, for The HotJem Media, together with other Cameroonian media outlets, under the supervision of Mr. Leonard Behyia at the Ethiopian Airlines Office in Bonanjo, Douala on Wednesday April 21, 2021.
