Originally Posted by
ajeleonard
That's why, counter intuitively, Ethiopian can fly to Chengdu from Addis whereas British Airways couldn't make Chengdu work from London as it didn't meet its strict return on capital targets.
There's also the part where Chinese investment is far more focused on Africa than Europe these days, delivering a different flow of passengers - and cash - in the market.
I'm also not entirely sure I'd call Ethiopian "so successful" except in the limited comparison of the African market where there is minimal large airline competition and nearly all are state-backed/run.