People whom have traveled extensively in Africa have a special place for Ethiopian Airways, for unlike many other African airlines, they have a quality of service and a technical support that many European airlines envy. They are known for the quality of their pilots, many of whom cut their teeth on the challenging internal flights in this mountainous nation and then on African flights. The important point is that many of these flights are flown by the pilot without the use of fly-by-wire systems. This comes in useful, should trouble strike. Another strong point for the airline is its ground staff and engineers. The airline undertakes maintenance for a large number of airline fleets throughout Africa and they consistently perform at or above European standards of safety. 
 
There have only been three fatal incidents since 1970. In 1988 a plane leaving Bahir Dar, at the source of the Blue Nile was subject to a bird strike on take off that reduced the power of the engines, causing it to crash whilst attempting to land. The second incident was in 1996, when three psychotic young men hijacked the plane and demanded it be flown to Australia, having read in the in-flight magazine that it could carry enough fuel to fly there. Captain Leul Abate explained that they only carried enough fuel for the scheduled flight. The men didn't believe him and started assaulting the crew. The plane ran out of fuel over the Comoros islands and the crew managed to ditch at sea, despite being savagely beaten by the hijackers at the time. 125 of the 175 passengers were killed, but the fact that anyone survived is a testament to the courage and skills of the crew. Anyone watching footage of the crash, filmed by a tourist, would not believe that anyone could survive. The Beirut crash is the third such incident. At the present time, it is not known what the cause of the accident was, although Lebanese have ruled out sabotage at a very early stage. Witnesses spoke of a fireball, but given that the incident took place at night, in very bad weather and the plane was, reportedly, flying at 8,00 feet and several miles away, these reports may be inaccurate. 
 
I've flown many times with Ethiopian and I would call it my favourite airline. Security has always been tight, even at the smallest of airports and insiders say, most flights have air marshals on board. This has been prompted by Somalis and Eritreans, who object to Ethiopian government policy and have made several attempts to hijack planes, for political ends or just to claim asylum. One such insider says that the airways has used Israeli security teams and there are some gory tales circulating about their efficiency. During the Menghistu dictatorship, which was backed by the soviet Union, the airline was told to ditch their fleet of Boeing planes in favour of Russian Illyushin jets. On hearing this the whole top management threatened to resign, citing airworthiness and similar concerns, and the dictator gave way to them. They were the only people who managed to successfully challenge the brutal despot. 
 
Inside the country, Ethiopians are proud of their airline, which flies to 56 destinations, including 35 destinations in Africa -- more than any other airline, and competition for jobs is fierce, giving them a loyal and dedicated workforce. Although African airlines have a terrible reputation, Ethiopian Airlines has always been considered an exception with a solid history by professionals. It is also one of the most profitable, with an expected net profit of about $150 million in 2009/10.