US Under Secretary of Commerce Gilbert Kaplan has led a large delegation of US businesses and officials from across the US government on a visit to Ethiopian Airlines. Under Secretary Kaplan met with Ethiopian Airlines CEO, Tewolde Gebremariam, to discuss potential ways for US companies to partner with Ethiopian Airlines to achieve even greater growth, including in the construction and operation of new airports. The rest of the group toured Ethiopian Airlines’ aviation academy and cargo facilities.
During the visit, Ethiopian Airlines announced deals with General Electric (GE) and Honeywell and a training grant from the US Trade Development Agency (USTDA). USTDA is partnering with the Sabre Corporation to provide an Airline Solutions Training Program Technical Assistance grant for Ethiopian Airlines Enterprise, which could leverage up to $21.2 million in financing to support the procurement of airline information technology solutions, consulting services, and industry best practices. Ethiopian Airlines is procuring twelve General Electric engines valued at $444 million, as well as a separate $473.5 million 10-year maintenance contract. Ethiopian Airlines has also signed two contracts with Honeywell – a $10.2 million deal for the Bole Airport expansion and a $7.2 million Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) service contract.
Regarding the deal, Group CEO Ethiopian Airlines, Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam said, “Ethiopian is the most significant source of US –Ethiopia business relations. These relations cover the full spectrum of commercial aviation sector, ranging from aircraft, engines, navigation to flight tracking systems. These latest deals further solidify the commercial relations between U.S. firms and Ethiopian Airlines Group and amount to billions of U.S. dollars in business and thousands of jobs. With Ethiopian Vision 2025, fast growth, more business collaborations lie in the years ahead.”