Ethiopian Airlines has marked its one-year anniversary of flights from the North of the UK by donating a rose bush featuring the nation’s famous flowers to three iconic gardens across the North of England.

Yorkshire, Manchester and the North East were the top regions to fly with the airline since it launched flights from Manchester Airport last December.

To celebrate the rise in flights from the North to Africa, Ethiopian Airlines donated a rose bush and bouquet of Ethiopian roses to Tatton Park in Cheshire, Newby Hall & Gardens near Leeds and Renishaw Hall in Sheffield.

Roses are the biggest export on the airline’s flights to Manchester, bringing in over 26 tonnes each month. Other key cargo includes machinery and garments.

Traffic and sales manager at Ethiopian Airlines, Timothy Bettney, presented the bushes to the head gardeners at the chosen sites, where they have been planted in iconic rose gardens ahead of summer.

Michael Yohannes, country manager UK from Ethiopian Airlines, said: “We’re thrilled to be celebrating our first anniversary at Manchester Airport and we couldn’t think of a better way than bringing a touch of Ethiopia to the North. The rose bush donation is a symbol of the growth of the airline across the North.”