Ethiopian Airlines prepares the return of the Boeing 737 Max

Ethiopian Airlines is now preparing the ground for the return of the Boeing 737 Max. The airline issued an airworthiness directive (AD) on the Boeing 737 MAX on Monday that will pave the way for the model’s return to service with the first flight scheduled for February 1.

Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Tewolde GebreMariam said, “Safety is our top priority at Ethiopian Airlines and it guides every decision we make and every action we take. It is in accordance with this guiding principle that we now return the B737 MAX to service not only after recertification by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), EASA of Europe, Transport Canada, CAAC, ECAA and others. regulatory bodies, but also after the return to service of more than 34 airlines around the world.

According to the OAG timetable update, Ethiopian Airlines intends to resume flights of the 737 MAX 8 with services from the airline’s hub in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Istanbul, Turkey; Khartoum, Sudan; Enugu, Nigeria; Entebbe, Uganda; Moroni, Comoros; Nos By, Madagascar; Victoria, Seychelles and Cairo.

“In keeping with our initial commitment to become one of the last airlines to return the B737 MAX, we have taken sufficient time to monitor the design change work and the more than 20 months of rigorous recertification process and we are rest assured that our pilots, engineers, aircraft technicians and cabin crew are confident in the safety of the fleet. The aircraft model has accumulated more than 275,000 commercial flights since the resumption of operation of the B737 MAX a year ago, ”added GebraMariam.

Ethiopian Airlines currently has four Boeing 737 MAX 8s in its fleet, with 25 more on order.

GebreMariam said: “We are delighted to receive this important global certification, the IATA CEIV Pharma certificate, which is a strong assurance of one of the highest global standards in the aviation and logistics industries. With an annual capacity of over one million tons, our global air cargo and logistics hub in Addis Ababa has various special cargo handling facilities such as pharmacy and life sciences, live animals, perishable goods, live seafood, dangerous goods, etc.

The airline has switched to cargo, maintenance and charter operations to help mitigate the Covid-19 blow. Accordingly, this achievement certifies the expertise of the airline and the effective management of pharmaceuticals and life sciences.

“As a result, we have worked very hard on our pharmaceutical and life science processing facility to meet global standards in technology, process and training. The IATA CEIV Pharma certification has come at the right time for the Ethiopian Cargo and Logistics team, which continues to play a key global role in transporting life-saving COVID-19 vaccines around the world and in particular to the African continent. The journey to even greater success in the logistics market has started for Ethiopian Airlines, as we are already equipped with enormous capacity in terms of cold chain facilities, equipment, systems, processes and more. of professionals dedicated to pharmaceutical handling, ”GebreMariam added.

In addition, the strategic and geographical location of the Ethiopian Airlines central airport – located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – makes it highly preferable for the transport of highly temperature sensitive products. The natural temperature stability throughout the year varies between +15 degrees Celsius and +25 degrees Celsius, which will play an important role in minimizing potential temperature deviations along the value chain.

Ethiopian has also deployed smart carts to ensure the smooth transportation of temperature sensitive pharmaceuticals from warehouse to aircraft and vice versa with the ability to maintain internal temperature between -29 degrees Celsius and +27 degrees Celsius. .

Victor Shalton’s love for aviation dates back to the age of 11. As a seasoned aviation writer, he takes pride in providing the best aviation coverage in the world and is passionate about advancing his skills in the aviation industry. Additionally, he adores traveling, writing, the arts and although his speaking engagements have taken him across the world, he is proud to call Nairobi home.

Latest articles by Victor Shalton (see everything)