RwandAir has been the subject of much awe and appreciation for its sustained and fast growth. It is already ranked among one of the airlines with the youngest fleet in Africa, after being dubbed one of the fastest growing airlines on the continent. Thus when the partnership opportunity for RwandAir and Ethiopian Airlines presented itself, it was a no brainer. In this regard RwandAir and Ethiopian Airlines are pleased to announce the signing of a technical support agreement on 18 December 2013 in Addis Ababa.
The technical support agreement was signed by Rwandair Chief Executive Officer, Mr. John Mirenge and Ethiopian Airlines Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Tewolde Gebremariam. Per the agreement, Ethiopian will provide technical support service to Rwandair as of March 2014 for line maintenance up to A-Check and component exchange support for B737NG and Q400 aircraft. Ethiopian MRO Services will deploy technical team in Kigali to carry out the day to day activities on site while being supported as required from the main base in Addis Ababa.
“Rwandair recognizes the important role Ethiopian Airlines has played as a pioneer MRO provider in Africa over the years thus it was imperative that we explore the opportunity for MRO partnership. Agreements such as the momentous one signed here today further strengthen the bond between RwandAir and Ethiopian Airlines while continuing to show the world that the African aviation industry remains a vital catalyst for African economic growth and advancement.” Stated RwandAir’s CEO John Mirenge
“This agreement with Rwandair is the type of cooperation that is needed to ensure the success of the African aviation industry. We are very pleased to expand our cooperation with Rwandair to the area of MRO. It is only by harnessing our resources and capabilities in Africa and establishing all-round cooperation including in the MRO, commercial and training areas that we will be able to withstand the stiff competition from foreign carriers and succeed in a highly competitive, capital intensive and skill driven industry”, said Chief Executive Officer Tewolde Gebremariam.
In line with its Vision 2025 strategic roadmap, Ethiopian MRO Services aims to become the most competitive and leading provider of commercial aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul in Africa by 2025.
Ethiopian MRO Services has a certified facility by both the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the European Aviation Safety Agency and has MRO capabilities in Boeing and Bombardier aircraft.
RwandAir now has the advantage of having the same MRO Service handling both our Boeing 737-800 aircrafts, both Boeing 737-700 aircrafts as well as the brand new Q-400 NextGen due to arrive end of February 2014. This new agreement builds on the already strong relationship we have enjoyed with Ethiopian Airlines through the pilot training program Rwandair pilots go though as well as our well trained engineers most of whom trained through Ethiopian Airline training program. RwandAir looks forward to yet another fruitful partnership with continued success.
For more information contact the head of corporate communications, Anna Fye at 0784873299/ anna.fye@rwandair.com
Published on: November 23, 2019