The management of Ethiopian Airlines has finalized the preparation of a bid document for the construction of a new maintenance hangar planned to be built at its hub at the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport.
In an exclusive interview with Aviation News, Ethiopian CEO, Girma Wake said that the management will soon put up a tender inviting international and local construction firm that will build the new maintenance hangar. Wake said Ethiopian has three maintenance hangars but they were crowded: “Our maintenance and engineering department basically provides service to Ethiopian,” he says. “We have a plan to run the maintenance department as a separate business unit that would render maintenance service to other airlines. But the three hangars are already crowded so we need a new one. The hangar where we paint is open but it is better if it is a closed compartment.”
Ethiopian’s MRO centre is certified by the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority, FAA, Boeing and Pratt and Whitney. The MRO centre has been providing repair and overhaul services to major African and Middle East carriers.
In 2006, Ethiopian inaugurated a new maintenance hangar at his hub the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport built at a cost of $6.4 million by a Chinese construction firm called CATIC. With the capacity to handle aircraft as big as the B747, the hangar covers 7,200 sq.m.
As Ethiopian placed firm orders for 37 aircraft: 10 B787, 10 B737-800, 12 A350XWB and 5B777, it is planning to build another maintenance hangar that will accommodate the new fleet. Ethiopian recently acquired six Bombardier Q400 aircraft and two more are coming by the end of this year.
Staffed by more than 550 certified technicians and engineers, Ethiopian MRO centre provides maintenance and overhaul services for B767, 757,737,727,707, DH6, ATR42, Fokker50 and L-100. Ethiopian provides MRO services to 67 airlines from Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.