July 15, 2026 | Airline Advisory
Ethiopian Airlines has introduced a revised ticketing policy for passengers travelling from India to its online destinations in Africa using two separate one-way tickets, following instances where return tickets were reportedly cancelled after passengers had commenced their journey.
The new policy, which came into effect from April 1, 2022, has been communicated to the airline’s India travel trade partners and is aimed at preventing operational and financial liabilities arising from passengers travelling without a valid return ticket.
According to the airline, it observed that some travel agents were issuing separate one-way tickets—an outbound ticket on Ethiopian Airlines and an inbound ticket on another carrier—for passengers undertaking return journeys. In certain cases, the inbound ticket was subsequently refunded or voided before the passenger reached their destination.
The airline noted that when passengers are required to hold a valid return ticket based on their visa or travel document requirements, the absence of one can result in deportation. In such cases, Ethiopian Airlines said it has incurred significant financial losses in the form of regulatory penalties as well as the cost of transporting passengers back to India.
Under the revised guidelines, passengers travelling to Ethiopian Airlines’ African online destinations can continue to use separate one-way tickets, provided they meet a mandatory verification process.
As part of the procedure, the issuing IATA-accredited travel agent must submit an indemnity letter on the agency’s official letterhead, duly signed by an authorised signatory and bearing the agency’s IATA stamp. The letter must be emailed from the agency’s official email address to Ethiopian Airlines’ sales or reservations office in the respective territory during office hours, along with copies of both the Ethiopian Airlines ticket and the return ticket issued by the other airline.
For bookings made outside Ethiopian Airlines’ office hours, agents are required to contact their respective territorial sales or reservations office to ensure compliance with the procedure.
The airline has requested all travel partners across India to circulate the revised policy among their teams to ensure awareness and adherence, enabling smooth handling of passenger bookings and avoiding travel disruptions.
