Dubai resident Ahmed Khalid would have been on board Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 from Addis Ababa had the first leg of his journey not been delayed.
Flying home to Nairobi from Dubai, Ahmed was changing planes in Addis Ababa but he arrived too late to make his planned connection.
The unexpected delay saved his life.
Just six minutes after take off from Addis Ababa’s Bole International Airport, flight ET302 crashed, killing all 157 on board.
Among the passengers, from 33 nations, were local travellers, aid workers, UN staff and government officials.
Ahmed Khalid with his father after arriving at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi. Reuters
“When I reached Addis Ababa they told me to take the second flight, which is at 11 o'clock, and I said it's fine,” Ahmed said.
But when the passengers realised something had gone wrong with the earlier departure, he said they asked airline employees.
People walk at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash. Reuters
In this photo taken from the Ethiopian Airlines Facebook page, the CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, Tewolde Gebremariam, looks at the wreckage of the plane. AP Photo
People walk past a part of the wreckage at the scene. Reuters
The scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash. Reuters
Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 (ET-AVM), the same aircraft that crashed in Ethiopia, is seen at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, when it was first delivered to Ethiopia in July 2018. EPA
A Chinese group look at the arrival schedule board at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya. AFP
Family members react at Addis Ababa international airport. AP Photo
Kenya Airports Authority workers hang an information notice at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya. Reuters
“Everyone was asking the cabin crew what was happening but no one was saying anything," Ahmed said.
"They were just going up and down until one of the passengers saw on his mobile that the first plane that had just flown, like six minutes after it flew, it just crashed."
Ahmed’s father was waiting at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta airport, unaware that his son had missed the ill-fated flight.
"I arrived here shortly after 10am and as I waited, a security person approached me and asked me which flight I was waiting for,” Khalid Ali Abdulrahman said.
“I answered him quickly because I wanted him to direct me to the arrivals. So I told him Ethiopia, and then he said, 'Sorry, that one has crashed’.”
Khalid said he feared the worst.
"I was shocked but shortly after, my son contacted me and told me he is still in Addis and did not board that flight," he said.
"He was waiting for the second one, which had been delayed."
For others at Nairobi airport, the story was very different.
The nearby Sheraton Hotel became a reception space for the grieving.
Officials and airline employees gave out the latest news and offered counselling.
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Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
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Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood. Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues. Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity. Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
Retirement funds heavily invested in equities at a risky time
Pension funds in growing economies in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East have a sharply higher percentage of assets parked in stocks, just at a time when trade tensions threaten to derail markets.
Retirement money managers in 14 geographies now allocate 40 per cent of their assets to equities, an 8 percentage-point climb over the past five years, according to a Mercer survey released last week that canvassed government, corporate and mandatory pension funds with almost $5 trillion in assets under management. That compares with about 25 per cent for pension funds in Europe.
The escalating trade spat between the US and China has heightened fears that stocks are ripe for a downturn. With tensions mounting and outcomes driven more by politics than economics, the S&P 500 Index will be on course for a “full-scale bear market” without Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts, Citigroup’s global macro strategy team said earlier this week.
The increased allocation to equities by growth-market pension funds has come at the expense of fixed-income investments, which declined 11 percentage points over the five years, according to the survey.
Hong Kong funds have the highest exposure to equities at 66 per cent, although that’s been relatively stable over the period. Japan’s equity allocation jumped 13 percentage points while South Korea’s increased 8 percentage points.
The money managers are also directing a higher portion of their funds to assets outside of their home countries. On average, foreign stocks now account for 49 per cent of respondents’ equity investments, 4 percentage points higher than five years ago, while foreign fixed-income exposure climbed 7 percentage points to 23 per cent. Funds in Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan are among those seeking greater diversification in stocks and fixed income.
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National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
