Ethiopian Airlines to work with US, Ethiopian investigators as crash probe begins

• Invests $500 million on training, infrastructure
• Restates belief in Boeing

Despite the crash that killed all 157 passengers and crew, Africa’s biggest airline, Ethiopian Airlines said it has strong belief in Boeing, the American manufacturer of the B737 MAX that crashed six minutes after take-off from Bole International Airport, Addis Ababa.

The airline’s Chief Executive Officer, Tewolde GebreMariam disclosed that more than two-thirds of their fleet is Boeing and the second nation in the world (after Japan) to take delivery of the 787 Dreamliner.

 This is coming as the investigation of the accident is well underway to unearth exactly what led to Nairobi bound Flight 302 rather than speculations and conjectures about the accident that has rented the air since the crash occurred two weeks ago.

He disclosed that they would work with investigators in Ethiopia, in the U.S. and elsewhere to figure out what went wrong with flight 302.

“We resolve to work with Boeing and others to use this tragedy to make the skies safer for the world”.

The airline chief stated that many questions on the B-737 MAX airplane remain without answers, pledging his full and transparent cooperation to discover what went wrong.

His words, “In the last five years, we have invested more than half a $1 billion dollars in training and other infrastructure in our Addis Ababa base. We will work with investigators in Ethiopia, in the U.S. and elsewhere to figure out what went wrong with flight 302. We resolve to work with Boeing and others to use this tragedy to make the skies safer for the world”.

Explaining the carrier’s reputation for safety and ability to go beyond the threshold, he said it is well known in global aviation industry, the differences training between the B-737 NG and the B-737 MAX recommended by Boeing and approved by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration called for computer-based training.

“After the Lion Air accident in October, our pilots who fly the Boeing 737 Max 8 were fully trained on the service bulletin issued by Boeing and the Emergency Airworthiness Directive issued by the USA FAA. Among the seven Full Flight Simulators that we own and operate, two of them are for B-737 NG and the B-737 MAX”.

“We are the only airline in Africa among the very few in the world with the B-737 MAX full flight Simulator. Contrary to some media reports, our pilots who fly the new model were trained on all appropriate simulators. The crews were well trained on this aircraft. Immediately after the crash and owing to the similarity with the Lion Air Accident, we grounded our fleet of Max 8s. Within days, the plane had been grounded around the world. I fully support this. Until we have answers, putting one more life at risk is too much”.

“We also are proud of our association with U.S. aviation. The general public does not know that Ethiopian Airlines was founded in 1945 with help from Trans World Airlines (TWA). In the early years, our pilots, flight crews, mechanics and managers were actually employees of TWA. In the 1960s, after the handoff, TWA continued in an advisory capacity, and we’ve continued to use American jets, American jet engines and American technology”.

“Our mechanics are Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certified. Our first direct passenger service to the U.S. began in June 1998, and today we fly direct to Africa from Washington, Newark, Chicago and Los Angeles. This summer, we will begin flying from Houston. Our cargo flights connect in Miami, Los Angeles and New York”, he added.

U.S. travel to Africa, he noted has increased more than 10 percent in the last year, second only to travel to Europe in term of the percentage increase — traveling to Africa has increased more than traveling to Asia, the Middle East, Oceania, South America, Central America or the Caribbean.

He stated that the future is bright, hinting that Ethiopian Airlines would be here to meet the demand.

GebreMariam further stated that in less than a decade, Ethiopian Airlines has tripled the size of its fleet with 113 Boeing, Airbus and Bombardier aircraft flying to 119 international destinations in five continents.

The airline has one of the youngest fleet in the industry; with average fleet age of five years while industry average is 12 years.

The airline has also tripled the passenger volume, now flying more than 11 million passengers annually.

Wole Shadare