Ethiopian Airlines, Boeing sign landmark agreement on aviation collaboration
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - The Ethiopian Airlines and US commercial aircraft manufacturer, Boeing, have signed an agreement to create an aviation hub in Africa, the airline said on Monday.
The Ethiopian Airlines Group and Boeing signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on positioning Ethiopia as an aviation hub for Africa, the Ethiopian Airlines said.
"Building on the two parties’ 70 years of shared history in aviation, the MoU aims at positioning Ethiopia as Africa’s aviation hub - 'Ethiopia for Africa'," the Airlines said.
Ethiopian Airlines Group Chief Executive Officer, Tewolde GebreMariam, said the airline was thrilled not only to sign the historic MoU with its long-standing aviation partner, Boeing, but also for the implementation of milestones.
"We have been working in collaboration with Boeing on different large-scale projects in aviation for more than 70 years to serve the continent of Africa and this partnership expands and builds our capability in multiple fields," the airline chief said in a statement.
"I have firm conviction that with our dedication in its implementation, the MoU will successfully attain its goal of positioning Ethiopia as the continent’s aviation hub," Tewolde added.
The two firms will collaborate on industrial Development, Advanced Aviation Training, Educational Partnership and Leadership Development in a span of three years.
"To this effect, joint multidisciplinary teams have been established to implement the strategic partnership and important milestones have already been registered," the Airlines said.
The Ethiopian Airlines chief said the Airline valued the critical role its American partner companies were playing in helping it to accomplish its corporate goals.
Tewolde vowed to continue to work with key American aviation players like Boeing, GE, Pratt and Whitney and Collins Aerospace towards excellence in aviation.
The Ethiopian Airlines said Boeing recognized Ethiopian as a global aviation leader in the African continent.
The deal with Boeing comes days after the Ethiopian Airlines entered an agreement with an Israeli firm to launch a plant for the conversion of passenger aircraft to cargo carriers.
The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic has largely affected travel, leading to a huge rise in demand for cargo and freight.
"The MoU is indicative of Boeing and Ethiopian Airlines interest to establish a mutually beneficial world class aviation partnership," the Ethiopian Airlines said, without elaborating.
To realize their shared vision, Ethiopian and Boeing have agreed to work in partnership in four areas of strategic collaboration.
Ethiopian and Boeing desire Ethiopian Aviation Academy to be recognized as a global standard for aviation training and Boeing is committed to developing Ethiopia’s manufacturing capability and aftermarket aviation service.
Through this MoU, Boeing and Ethiopian will partner to advance capabilities to compete globally. They seek to build a 21st century pipeline for aviation careers in Ethiopia.
They will collaborate with highly-qualified educational institutions and aviation industry partners to create specialized learning and development programmes to meet workforce demands.
Boeing and Ethiopian will also work together to develop current and future generations of leaders in Ethiopia for Africa.
-0- PANA AO/VAO 30Aug.2021
