A new domestic airline is to be launched in Ethiopia later this month. Air Ethiopia was set up last year to provide a variety of services including scheduled passenger flights, air ambulance facilities, cargo and private charter flights from Addis Ababa to regional towns and country areas.

The airline will soon commence operations and the destinations that Air Ethiopia may serve include Mekelle, Bahir Dar, Axum, Gondar and Dire Dawa.

It is hoped the airlines network will expand as more aircraft are purchased, but initial operations will start off with a Beech 1900 which it acquired from a US based company on a lease basis.

The Beech can seat up to 19 passengers and has a maximum cruising altitude of up 33.000 feet.

The airline is the brainchild of a former Ethiopian airlines pilot, Captain Abera Lemi.

The only other airline operating domestic scheduled flights is national airline Ethiopian Airlines.