Addis Ababa, July 16, 2026 (ENA) —Mauritian President Dharambeer Gokhool has described Ethiopian Airlines’ newly launched direct service to Mauritius as a strategic breakthrough that could help address one of Africa’s most enduring barriers to economic integration, poor continental connectivity.
The president expressed confidence that the partnership will unlock new opportunities in tourism, trade, investment and human capital development.
In an exclusive interview with Pulse of Africa (POA) following the inauguration of Ethiopian Airlines’ direct passenger flights between Addis Ababa and Port Louis, President Gokhool said stronger air links are essential to unlocking Africa’s full economic potential.
It would also advance the African Union’s vision of greater regional integration, he underscored.
“One of the biggest challenges facing the African continent is connectivity,” the president said.
“By connecting Mauritius with Ethiopia, we are sending a strong signal that Africa is taking concrete steps to overcome this longstanding constraint,” Gokhool noted.
The president said the new air link goes far beyond transporting passengers, describing it as a catalyst for strengthening the long-term partnership between Ethiopia and Mauritius.
“If we develop this partnership, it’s going to be mutually beneficial in terms of tourism and in terms of bringing our two people together, and of course for a long-term relationship between Ethiopia and Mauritius.”
According to Gokhool, Mauritius is positioning itself as a gateway to Africa for international investors and businesses, making stronger air links increasingly important.
He noted that Ethiopian Airlines’ extensive African and global network could significantly enhance trade and investment flows between the two countries while helping address logistics bottlenecks.
“Mauritius is positioning itself as a gateway to Africa in terms of investment, in terms of trade. So, with Ethiopian Airlines partnering with Mauritius, we can certainly open many opportunities for tourism, even for investment and trade.”
The president also highlighted cargo transportation as one of Africa’s major constraints, expressing hope that the partnership would improve the movement of goods across the continent.
“The movement of cargo is one of the biggest challenges. So working together is going to provide us the scope for dealing with this constraint of movement of cargo in the African continent.”
Beyond aviation services, Gokhool commended Ethiopian Airlines’ internationally recognized aviation training capabilities, saying they offer valuable opportunities for Mauritians.
“Ethiopian Airlines has established facilities for capacity development, and this is something interesting for training of pilots and other personnel.”
He added that he had been informed the airline is considering employing Mauritian professionals, describing the move as another encouraging sign of expanding bilateral cooperation.
“I’ve been told that Ethiopian Airlines is already thinking in terms of employing Mauritians to work in Ethiopian Airlines. These are very promising signs of deepening our collaboration between Mauritius and Ethiopia.”
Looking ahead, the president identified education, healthcare and the blue economy as additional sectors with significant potential for collaboration.
“We have enormous potential to cooperate in education, health, the blue economy, and many other sectors where we can share knowledge, technology, and experience for the mutual benefit of our peoples,” he said.
Ethiopian Airlines officially launched direct passenger services between Addis Ababa and Port Louis on July 12, operating three weekly flights.
The airline says the new route strengthens intra-African connectivity by linking Mauritius to its Addis Ababa hub, offering seamless connections to destinations across Africa, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the Americas.
The new service is expected to stimulate tourism, facilitate trade and investment, improve cargo movement, and reinforce people-to-people ties, while supporting Africa’s broader ambition of building a more integrated, connected, and competitive continent.
