Ethiopian Airlines is the largest carrier in Africa, with little competition across the vast continent. According to the US Department of Transportation, the Star Alliance member transported 637,000 passengers to and from the US in the 12 months leading up to August 2025.
During this time period, only 70. 9% of Ethiopian’s US seats were occupied, indicating a very low load factor. While there was a 6% increase in passenger traffic compared to the previous year, there was a larger 10% increase in available seats, resulting in a decrease in seat load factor. When looking at all airlines operating in the US-Africa market, the average load factor was 75. 7%. The only carrier with a lower load factor than Ethiopian was Royal Air Maroc, at 70. 5%.
Factors such as the target market of the Ethiopian diaspora, global connectivity, and feeding onward flights through the Addis Ababa hub play an important role in the airline’s operations. Some of Ethiopian’s routes include a stop in Lomé, Togo in both directions to connect to ASKY’s network in West and Central Africa, while others do not. To overcome the high elevation of Addis Ababa, which affects take-off performance, flights to the US make a stop in Rome for refueling and crew change before continuing nonstop back to Africa.
Atlanta was the destination with the lowest seat load factor, despite being the first-ever passenger service between Addis Ababa and Atlanta launched in May 2023. Flights operate via Rome and back to Africa, with an average of 2-4 weekly departures and mostly using the 270-seat Boeing 787-8. However, the larger 787-9 and 777-200LR have also been used. In the 12 months leading up to August 2025, Ethiopian transported 56,630 round-trip passengers with a load factor of 60. 6%, a decrease from the previous year. The most popular connecting destinations from Atlanta via Addis Ababa were Nairobi, Lagos, Entebbe, Johannesburg, and Kilimanjaro, with flying through Addis Ababa to Lagos adding about 75% more miles than flying directly on Delta.
On the other hand, the Addis Ababa-Washington Dulles route had the highest load factor of 80. 8%, with 232,100 round-trip passengers. This market is heavily influenced by the large Ethiopian population in the DC metro area. Ethiopian operated daily flights on the A350-900 and later the A350-1000, with occasional use of the 777-200LR, 777-300ER, 787-8, and 787-9. Unlike the Atlanta service, many passengers connected to another flight in Dulles and Addis Ababa. While the load factor was strong overall, there is room for improvement in off-season performance.
In conclusion, Ethiopian Airlines faces low seat load factors