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Ethiopian Airlines will start scheduled passenger flights between Addis Ababa and Port Harcourt, Nigeria, on 1 December 2026, according to the airline’s 17 September 2026 press release. The route is four times weekly on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and it becomes the carrier’s fifth Nigerian city after Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and Enugu.
That is a booking decision for anyone connecting West Africa through Addis Ababa this winter, and for Port Harcourt travelers who now have a Star Alliance hub instead of a one-off charter. Deep Arrival’s Ethiopian Airlines cabin guide is the place to match aircraft product to this new schedule before you buy ET 945.
- Start date: 1 December 2026, four times weekly.
- Days: Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
- Flight: ET 945, Addis Ababa 09:30 to Port Harcourt 12:25, returning 13:10 to 20:30.
- Aircraft: Boeing 737 MAX 8 on the published subfleet.
- Network: Port Harcourt is Ethiopian’s fifth Nigerian destination, a market the airline has served since 1960.
Four Weekly Addis Ababa Flights Start December 1
The airline’s table lists ET 945 leaving Addis Ababa Bole at 09:30 and arriving Port Harcourt at 12:25, then turning to leave Port Harcourt at 13:10 and arriving Addis Ababa at 20:30, all on the same four weekdays. Treat those clock times as the carrier’s published local figures, and confirm them in the booking path before you lock hotels or oil-field transfers, because winter schedules can still move after a launch announcement.
The published subfleet is ET 7M8, Ethiopian’s Boeing 737 MAX 8 code. That is a narrow-body, not a 787 or A350, so cabin expectations should follow the MAX product rather than long-haul Cloud Nine. Search the Addis Ababa to Port Harcourt pair for dates from 1 December 2026. The press release announces the service date. It does not publish fares, a first-ticket timestamp, or a sales embargo.
AJOT carried the same launch on 17 September 2026, repeating the four-weekly frequency and the 1 December start. Independent confirmation here is the schedule itself, not a second set of times. If a booking engine shows a different weekday or a wide-body, the airline’s own table still governs until Ethiopian files a change.
Port Harcourt Becomes Ethiopian’s Fifth Nigerian City
Group CEO Mesfin Tasew said Port Harcourt is Ethiopian’s fifth destination in Nigeria and that the expansion is meant to support trade, tourism, and business links through Addis Ababa. The press release calls Port Harcourt one of Nigeria’s leading commercial and industrial hubs and a gateway to the energy sector. That is the traveler use case: oil, gas, and contractor traffic that previously had to connect via Lagos or Abuja, plus anyone who needs a Star Alliance onward ticket from the Niger Delta.
Nigeria is one of Ethiopian’s longest-served African markets. The airline launched its first service to the country in 1960 and today flies Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and Enugu. Adding Port Harcourt does not cancel those four cities. It adds a fifth gateway, so a traveler already holding a Lagos or Abuja ticket should not assume an automatic reroute onto ET 945.
Deep Arrival’s air travel desk is the hub for other carrier schedule changes sitting beside this one. Keep Port Harcourt as its own city pair. A Durban, Lyon, or Mauritius launch is a different stream, even when the same airline is doing the announcing.
Addis Ababa Connections For Energy And Transfer Traffic
The value of ET 945 is the Addis Ababa bank, not the 5-hour sector alone. Ethiopian says the new flights feed its network across Africa, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the Americas. For a Port Harcourt passenger, that means a same-airline connection to Johannesburg, Dubai, Beijing, or Washington instead of a self-transfer in Lagos, provided minimum connect times at Bole still work on the 20:30 inbound and the 09:30 outbound.
The 09:30 departure from Addis Ababa is an east-to-west morning bank. The 20:30 return into Addis Ababa is an evening arrival, which may miss some same-day European departures and catch overnight eastbound banks. Build the connection on one ticket. A separately issued Port Harcourt tag onto a different alliance carrier is not what this announcement sells.
Aircraft gauge matters for bags and groups. A 737 MAX 8 holds fewer people and less cargo than the wide-bodies Ethiopian uses on Lagos. Contractor teams moving toolboxes, or families checking several bags, should read the MAX allowance on the ticket, not the A350 allowance from a previous Lagos trip.
Schedule Details Travelers Should Verify Before Buying
The press release does not say whether the first weeks are extra sections, whether a second daily frequency is planned, or whether Enugu or Kano frequencies change to make room. Do not infer a cut at another Nigerian city from this launch. Until Ethiopian or a schedule filer posts a reduction, Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and Enugu remain as previously sold.
Port Harcourt International Airport is the arrival point named by the city pair, not a downtown strip. Ground time from the terminal to the city or to industrial sites is a local transfer, not an airline product. Leave slack after the 12:25 arrival, especially on the first weeks of a new international station when immigration and ramp handling can run long.
Star Alliance codeshare display can lag a new spoke. If a partner ticket still cannot price Addis Ababa to Port Harcourt in November, check ethiopianairlines.com for ET 945 metal first, then ask the partner to ticket once the schedule is loaded. The 1 December start is the operating date, not a promise that every alliance screen will show the flight on the day of this announcement.
Nigeria Network Context For Existing Ethiopian Guests
Travelers already using Ethiopian to Lagos or Abuja should treat Port Harcourt as an extra option, not a substitute. If your meeting is on Victoria Island or on the Abuja-Kaduna corridor, the new spoke does not help. If your work is in Rivers State, the four-weekly pattern is the constraint: there is no Wednesday, Friday, or Sunday flight on the published table, so a midweek inbound may still require Lagos plus a domestic hop.
Earlier Ethiopian route news, including the Lyon passenger launch, shows the same pattern: a dated start, a weekday set, and a hub connection story. Use that chronology for how Ethiopian announces spokes. Do not copy Lyon’s aircraft or times onto Port Harcourt. This city pair is a MAX 8, four days a week, from 1 December 2026.
If you already hold a ticket into Lagos for December and want to switch to Port Harcourt, that is a voluntary change on your existing fare rules, not a free reissue because a fifth city appeared. Ask the airline or your agent for the change fee before you cancel the Lagos coupon.
| If you… | What to do |
|---|---|
| Need Port Harcourt on or after 1 December 2026 | Search ET 945 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Confirm times in the booking path. |
| Must travel Wednesday, Friday, or Sunday | This table has no flight those days. Keep Lagos or Abuja plus a domestic connection. |
| Are connecting beyond Addis Ababa | Buy one ticket through Bole. The 20:30 inbound and 09:30 outbound shape which banks you can catch. |
| Already hold Lagos or Abuja tickets for December | Do not assume a free switch to Port Harcourt. Check change fees on your fare. |
| Are booking cabin product | Plan for a 737 MAX 8, not the wide-body Cloud Nine product on longer Nigerian sectors. |
1 December 2026 is the operating gate. That is the first published flying day, not a fare-sale date. Search from that date forward on the four named weekdays.
The four-day pattern is the capacity gate. There is no published Wednesday, Friday, or Sunday frequency. Build oil-field and meeting calendars around Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday metal.
The MAX 8 is the product gate. Bags, groups, and cabin expectations follow the narrow-body, not Ethiopian’s wide-body Nigeria flights.
When do Ethiopian Airlines flights to Port Harcourt start?
The airline’s 17 September 2026 press release sets 1 December 2026 as the start, four times weekly on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
What is the ET 945 schedule?
Addis Ababa 09:30 to Port Harcourt 12:25, returning Port Harcourt 13:10 to Addis Ababa 20:30, on a Boeing 737 MAX 8. Confirm those times when you book.
Is Port Harcourt Ethiopian’s only new Nigerian city?
It is the fifth Nigerian destination after Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and Enugu. The announcement does not replace those four cities.
Are fares or a booking-open date in the press release?
No. The airline published the schedule and the 1 December start. Search the city pair for prices. Do not wait for a second fare notice that has not been issued.
Does this change Ethiopian flights to Lagos or Abuja?
Not in the text of this announcement. Treat existing Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and Enugu tickets as unchanged unless the airline posts a separate schedule cut.
