The Ethiopian Airlines (EAL), the country's flag carrier, said Wednesday it will on June 4 resume direct flights from Entebbe to Nairobi.

EAL abandoned the route last October due to what the management called "internal reorganization."

The addition of the Entebbe route will bring to 48, the number of direct routes operated by EAL, said the management in a press release. The airline recently celebrated its 60 years of operations in Africa.

A round-trip business class ticket will cost 390 U.S. dollars and 195 dollars for one way, while economy class travelers will part with 200 dollars round trip and 140 dollars one way, according to the management..

In another development, EAL has temporarily halted plans for the commencement of direct flights from Entebbe to Juba in southern Sudan.

The flights were scheduled to begin in June this year but the management says "the plans have been suspended for a while."

The flight modalities had not yet been sorted out, said the management.

In the meantime, the management said there will be direct flights from Addis Ababa to Juba.

Southern Sudan is attracting increased businesses from the entire African region. After decades of civil war, southern Sudan is now viewed by many as a latent investment hotspot.

EAL is a major carrier in Africa. It provides domestic and international air service between Ethiopia and other countries. It has a good safety record and is one of the few profitable African airlines. It also provides training and maintenance to more than a dozen African and middle eastern airlines.

Source: Xinhua