China Southern Airlines plans to start flights to Ethiopia in October. The airline will fly to Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. The new service will start on October 12. Flights will operate twice a week from Guangzhou to Addis Ababa via Changsha. The airline will use Boeing 787-9 aircraft for the new route. The new flight will help China Southern grow its network in Africa. It will also bring more competition to the Guangzhou-Addis Ababa route. Ethiopian Airlines already operates direct flights between these two cities.
China Southern Is Growing in Africa
China Southern already flies from China to Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. The airline operates flights to Nairobi from both Guangzhou and Changsha.
159,000 Seats
China Southern offers about 159,000 seats between China and Africa during the summer 2026 season.
51.5% Growth
The number of seats is 51.5% higher than the approximately 105,000 seats offered one year earlier.
With this growth, China Southern has become the third-largest airline in the China-Africa market by seat capacity.
More People Are Traveling Between China and Africa
Travel between China and Africa is growing. However, many passengers still use flights with connections. According to Sabre data, about 2.93 million passengers traveled between China and Africa in both directions in 2025. This was about 2.15 million passengers in 2024.
Passenger Growth
The number of passengers between China and Africa increased by 36% in one year, from about 2.15 million in 2024 to 2.93 million in 2025.
However, only about 17.9% of passengers traveled on direct flights. This shows that there is still a strong need for more direct flights between China and Africa.
Ethiopian Airlines Leads the Market
Ethiopian Airlines is the largest airline in the direct China-Africa market.
Ethiopian Airlines
About 632,000 seats and around 35% of the total market capacity.
EgyptAir
About 323,000 seats and the second-largest capacity in the market.
China Southern
China Southern has an 8.8% share of the direct market.
Air China
Air China offers about 157,000 seats between China and Africa.
During the summer 2026 season, Ethiopian Airlines offers about 632,000 seats between China and Africa. This is 6.2% more than the previous year.
More Direct Flights Between China and Africa
Airlines will offer about 1.81 million seats on direct flights between China and Africa during the summer 2026 season.
1.81 Million Seats
Airlines offer about 1.81 million seats on direct China-Africa flights during summer 2026.
22 Airport Pairs
The flights connect 22 airport pairs between China and Africa.
One year earlier, there were 21 airport pairs with about 1.72 million seats. Total seat capacity has increased by about 5%, while flight frequency has also increased by 5.9%.
Guangzhou-Addis Ababa Is a Major Route
The Guangzhou-Addis Ababa route is already the largest direct route between China and Africa by seat capacity.
Guangzhou-Addis Ababa Route
Ethiopian Airlines offers about 238,000 seats on this route during the summer 2026 season, 12.4% more than one year earlier.
The Addis Ababa-Beijing and Addis Ababa-Shanghai routes each have about 145,000 seats.
Guangzhou Is a Major Starting Point
Sabre data shows that Guangzhou was the largest Chinese city for Africa-bound travel in 2025.
Guangzhou
About 978,000 passengers traveled between Guangzhou and Africa.
Beijing
About 656,000 passengers traveled between Beijing and Africa.
Shanghai
About 529,000 passengers traveled between Shanghai and Africa.
China Southern's new Addis Ababa service will give passengers another travel option between China and Africa. The new route also shows the continued growth of air travel between the two regions.
