Ethiopian Airlines has announced a new passenger service that will operate Addis Ababa–Geneva–Lyon three times a week beginning 2 July 2026. The route, to be flown by Airbus A350s, deepens the Star Alliance member’s footprint in France while bolstering Geneva’s role as a pan-African gateway.([aviation24.be](https://www.aviation24.be/airlines/ethiopian-airlines/ethiopian-airlines-expands-france-network-with-new-lyon-service-via-geneva/))
For Swiss corporates with operations in Africa—particularly in pharma, commodity trading and NGO sectors—the flight offers one-stop access to 65 African destinations via Addis Ababa’s growing hub. Travel buyers note that today most itineraries require changing planes in Frankfurt or Paris; the new service could shave three to five hours off door-to-door times and reduce exposure to European hub congestion.
![Ethiopian Airlines to link Addis Ababa, Geneva and Lyon thrice weekly from July]()
To help travelers make the most of these faster connections, VisaHQ offers streamlined visa application support for Ethiopia, France, Switzerland and virtually every African country reachable through Addis Ababa. Swiss residents can start their paperwork online, receive expert document checks and track progress in real time at https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/, ensuring visas are in hand well before departure.
Geneva Airport says the additional wide-body frequencies will lift seat capacity to Africa by roughly 12 percent this summer, helping it approach pre-Covid long-haul volumes. Airport management has pledged to coordinate slot timings to protect connecting banks to Swiss domestic trains.
Ethiopian’s move also strengthens cargo options: Lyon is a major pharma-logistics centre, and the airline plans to belly-fly temperature-controlled containers between the Rhône-Alps region and East Africa. Mobility advisers suggest Swiss exporters explore combined passenger-freighter contracts to lock in capacity during the northern-summer produce peak.
For Swiss corporates with operations in Africa—particularly in pharma, commodity trading and NGO sectors—the flight offers one-stop access to 65 African destinations via Addis Ababa’s growing hub. Travel buyers note that today most itineraries require changing planes in Frankfurt or Paris; the new service could shave three to five hours off door-to-door times and reduce exposure to European hub congestion.
To help travelers make the most of these faster connections, VisaHQ offers streamlined visa application support for Ethiopia, France, Switzerland and virtually every African country reachable through Addis Ababa. Swiss residents can start their paperwork online, receive expert document checks and track progress in real time at https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/, ensuring visas are in hand well before departure.
Geneva Airport says the additional wide-body frequencies will lift seat capacity to Africa by roughly 12 percent this summer, helping it approach pre-Covid long-haul volumes. Airport management has pledged to coordinate slot timings to protect connecting banks to Swiss domestic trains.
Ethiopian’s move also strengthens cargo options: Lyon is a major pharma-logistics centre, and the airline plans to belly-fly temperature-controlled containers between the Rhône-Alps region and East Africa. Mobility advisers suggest Swiss exporters explore combined passenger-freighter contracts to lock in capacity during the northern-summer produce peak.
