The new IAI facility will serve as an extension of Ethiopian’s MRO center, allowing it to convert Boeing 767-300 airliners into cargo aircraft.
According to IAI’s press release, the new site is going to become the largest conversion facility in Africa. It is the company’s third such center, the other two being located in Tel Aviv and Mexico.
Ethiopian Airlines has a long history of operating and maintaining the Boeing 767, and although only three such jets remain in the carrier’s fleet, the company has flown the model continuously since 1996.
According to Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Tewolde GebreMariam, the new facility’s first job is going to be converting the carrier’s three remaining 767s into freighters, before expanding the services to other airlines in the region.
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has reduced the scope of passenger operations for most of the world’s airlines, while increasing the demand for cargo. As a result, many airlines chose to convert their existing passenger aircraft into freighters, greatly increasing the demand for conversion services.
I thought Obbo Tewolde had resigned for health reasons months ago.
Hi!
I applaud the airline’s leap in the past 20 years but my praise stops there! Underpaying technicians and posting billions in profits [of which Ethiopians don’t see a cent] doesn’t impress me! When was the last time that the ‘Ethiopian Airlines (‘EA’)’ was audited?
Although ‘ET’ is 100% the property of the Ethiopian people, it serves Ethiopians the least. Watch the flight attendants on in-flight service or go to one of the service centers and see how Ethiopians are treated vis-à-vis Whites, Arabs, etc.
1. Partnership with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI): Was that necessary? Why not phase out the three B767s & sell the B767/B757 simulator to make room for future ones?
2. Hiring, Training and Promotion Practices: ‘ET’ has lingering dirty age-old practices: unfair hiring/training-and-promotion, unprofessional fleet selection [plane types, planes per type, engine interchangeability, simulator versatility, etc.], late plane phasing-out, etc.
As long as ‘ET’ keeps hiring related families, relatives of employees, etc. and hiring and manpower training remain in their hands, ‘Ethiopian Airlines’ will remain just a marketing logo. Check the list of pilots, flight attendants, clerks, etc. to see who-is-who! How does anyone justify the enormous disparity in type-ratings of pilots and technicians of the same batch [and same department]? Just pull out employee records and see!
3. ‘ET’ Management Team: ‘ET’ could have fared far better had it appointed aerospace-intelligent Ethiopians. So far, political appointees with little or no aerospace industry knowledge have been running it. That is why it looks-like a Firm of Political Appointees!
4. Plane Purchase: Are our pilots, technicians and flight attendants familiar with it? Are the plane’s engines interchangeable with what we have? What plane is there for the same price? Why order over 25 planes of any kind? Aren’t more economic & ecologic planes in the pipelines? What if the FAA/EASA says: “Ground Aircraft Type X Immediately?”
i_Mognu / don_Q