Etihad Airways has been grounded in its attempts to jet into the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa | 7 Days Dubai

Etihad Airways has been grounded in its attempts to jet into the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.

The snub comes after the African nation’s Civil Aviation Authority rejected the airline’s application for the required operating permit.

The Abu-Dhabi based carrier, which on Tuesday agreed to purchase two more Airbus A330-200 planes for its fleet in a deal worth $418 million, was due to begin a five times per week service to Addis on Friday. The permit refusal is despite the existence of a Memorandum of Understanding between the governments of Ethiopia and Abu Dhabi inked back in June 2007.

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   Etihad Airways has been grounded in its attempts to jet into the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa

An Etihad Airways statement said: “The actions of the Ethiopian CAA ignore the Memorandum of Understanding between Abu Dhabi and Ethiopia. They are also very much against the best interests of consumers.”

The flights have been postponed until further notice, it added.