Ethiopian Airlines had been using five of the planes and awaiting delivery of 25 more. Ethiopian Airlines said the senior pilot issued a distress call and was told to return but all contact was lost shortly afterward. The Ethiopian plane was delivered to the airline in November. The crash shattered more than two years of relative calm in African skies, where travel had long been chaotic. It also was a serious blow to state-owned Ethiopian Airlines, which has expanded to become the continent's largest and best-managed carrier and turned Addis Ababa into the gateway to Africa.

Source: Ethiopian News March 11, 2019 07:30 UTC