It would help Ethiopian Airlines offer its customers the benefits of being a member of a global airline alliance. It would provide worldwide reach via the extensive network, giving seamless travel and status recognition through frequent flyer programs among other benefits. As part of the Alliance’s Round the World fare it would also open the airline’s network to globe trotters. Star Alliance’s CEO, Mr. Jaan Albrecht, said having Ethiopian Airlines as a member of the Star Alliance was a large step forward in completing the Alliance’s Africa strategy of offering quality service to customers with widest choice of flights to, from and within Africa. It would offer Alliance customers substantial access to the growing markets across Africa. The Star Alliance network would now offer more than 750 daily flights to 110 destinations in 48 countries in Africa, and 21,000 daily flights to 1,290 destinations in 189 countries worldwide. Ethiopian Airlines official access to the Star Alliance came a day after Addis Ababa’s Bole International Airport saw a Boeing 787, with an Ethiopian captain at the controls, make the first landing in Africa of the new Dreamliner which is on a six-month worldwide tour to display the aircraft. Ethiopian Airlines has an order for ten Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The first, with a capacity for 270 passengers, is due to be delivered in the second quarter of 2012. Ethiopian Airlines will be the first African airline to receive the aircraft and plans to use the planes to expand flights to existing destinations as well as expand into more markets worldwide, including new destinations in the Far East. Ato Tewolde said the arrival of the new planes would boost EAL’s international competence and help provide a more efficient and modern service delivery to passengers.