Addis Ababa, June 1, 2024 (FBC) – Ethiopian Airlines Group Chief Executive Officer Mesfin Tasew said that the Airline is working to make the country a “hub of Africa’s aviation.”
US-based global aerospace giant Boeing announced earlier this week that it will open its African headquarters in Ethiopia.
The decision puts an end to speculation about South Africa and Kenya being the preferred locations to host the continental branch.
The CEO noted that Ethiopian Airlines is currently the largest African airline using Boeing aircraft.
Besides, Ethiopian Airlines and Boeing have a long-standing good relationship on different large-scale projects in aviation.
“Ethiopian Airlines and Boeing have recently reached an agreement to make Ethiopia Africa’s aviation hub. We have an agreement to work together. Following this, Boeing is set to open its African headquarters in Addis Ababa,” he elaborated.
Moreover, Mesfin revealed that the agreement reached by the companies includes cooperation that enables Ethiopian Airlines to produce aircraft parts in Ethiopia.
This is particularly important for the development of the aerospace manufacturing sector of the airline, as called by ENA.
The airline would be able to increase its foreign exchange earnings by producing aircraft items and supplying them to other airlines, create job opportunities for citizens and accelerate the transfer of technology in the sector.
And this will be of great benefit to the development of the entire aviation sector, the CEO said.
Recall that Ethiopian Airlines and Boeing signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on positioning Ethiopia as an aviation hub for Africa in August 2021.
The strategic partnership included plans to develop Ethiopia’s manufacturing and aftermarket capabilities.