Ethiopian MRO Unit Receives EASA Part 145 Approval - 30 December, 2011

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has granted EASA Part 145 Approval to Ethiopian Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO), the Maintenance Division of Ethiopian Airlines. The Approval Certificate was issued on November 21, 2011. This Approval authorizes Ethiopian MRO Division to repair airplanes and aircraft components of airlines registered under any European Union member country, and issue EASA Airworthiness Certificates.

The B767 and B757 fleet line maintenance, base airframe maintenance and component maintenance are included within the scope of the approval. Mr. Mesfin Tassew, Chief Operating Officer of Ethiopian said, ‘the approval enables Ethiopian Airlines to attract more Airline Customers in Africa, Middle East, and possibly Europe to use the Ethiopian MRO services for the maintenance of their aircraft and components. This is expected to bring additional revenue to the Ethiopian Aviation Group in line with Vision 2025 Strategy’.

The Ethiopian MRO worked for more than a year to align its processes with EASA Part 145 requirements. EASA had conducted a rigorous audit of the Ethiopian MRO facilities and processes, and confirmed full compliance to its standards before it issued the approval.

Ethiopian MRO is approved by Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and other national CAAs in the region for several decades now. This addition of EASA Approval will enable Ethiopian MRO to issue all internationally recognized maintenance certificates for airplanes and components. About Ethiopian Ethiopian Airlines, one of the largest and fastest growing airlines in Africa, made its maiden flight to Cairo in 1946.

Ethiopian provides scheduled and dependable services to 63 international destinations spanning four continents. As the member of the prestigious Star Alliance Network, Ethiopian Airlines provides its passengers with more convenient flight schedules, greater flight frequencies, a larger network and more online connections.

Ethiopian Airlines is a multi-award winner for its commitment and contributions towards the development and growth of the African aviation industry and in recognition of its distinguished long-haul operations enhanced by the introduction of new routes and products. In the recent past, Ethiopian was awarded with “Airline Reliability Performance Award” by Bombardier in 2011, “Deal of the year 2010 Award” by Air Finance Journal in 2011 and “The African Cargo Airline of the Year Award” by STAT times in 2011.

Ethiopian was also awarded for being consistently profitable and for recording the best financial results at the 43rd AFRAA Annual General Assembly held in Morocco on November 21, 2011. With its recent acquisition of five Boeing 777-LR200s, the carrier is well positioned to aggressively pursue the implementation of its 2025 strategic plan to become the leading aviation group in Africa.