Ethiopian flag-carrier Ethiopian Airlines has said that it is being improperly and negatively targeted by online postings on social media for its decision to continue operating in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. The company said in a statement that even though many other carriers on the continent and worldwide continue to operate, some Ethiopian social media users have launched a campaign targeting the national carrier, making it look like it is the only carrier that opted to maintain its flights. However, in reality, carriers, such as Kenya Airways, Emirates, Air India, Singapore Airlines, Morocco Airlines, and Turkish Airlines have not grounded their fleet, it said. More than ten carriers continue flying to Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, according to the company’s statement. The company repeatedly expressed, it is taking all possible preventative measures to protect the customer’s health in accordance with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (CAO) standards.

Many Ethiopians online and offline are calling on the government to close airports after the country confirmed six cases of coronavirus on Tuesday. Even when most airlines in the region and other parts of the world have suspended services to China, Ethiopian has maintained its 35 weekly flights between Addis Ababa and different cities on the Chinese mainland.

Many also voiced their concern about the company’s continued flights to Italy, where the virus has taken an especilly devastating toll. The company temporarily suspended its flights to Milan effective 17th March, after the city’s larger Malpensa airport was closed in the face of the coronavirus crisis. Ethiopian attributed the suspension “due to further mobility restrictions”. Flights to Rome continue to be maintained as per normal, it was said.