Ethiopian Airlines Group and Boeing have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) meant to transform Ethiopia into an aviation hub for Africa, the airline said Monday. The agreement calls for the partners to work on industrial development, aviation training, educational partnership, and leadership development over the course of three years. According to Ethiopian, the sides have already established teams and set milestones toward implementing the strategic partnership.
“I am very much thrilled not only to sign this historic MoU with our long-standing aviation partner, Boeing, but also to the implementation of milestones,” said Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde GebreMariam. “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. I have a firm conviction that with our dedication to its implementation, the MoU will successfully attain its goal of positioning Ethiopia as the continent’s aviation hub. We highly value the critical role of our American partner companies in accomplishing our goals and we will continue to work with key American aviation players like Boeing, GE, Pratt and Whitney, and Collins Aerospace in our journey towards excellence in aviation.”
The partners aim to position Ethiopian Aviation Academy as a global standard for aviation training and build a pipeline for aviation careers in the country. Meanwhile, Boeing has committed to developing Ethiopia’s manufacturing capability and aftermarket aviation service, Ethiopian Airlines said in a statement.