• Ethiopian Airlines completes Africa’s first full aircraft repainting operation

• Upgrade supports strategy to expand maintenance and overhaul services

• Move cuts costs, reduces downtime for African airlines

Ethiopian Airlines said last week it had completed Africa’s first full aircraft paint-stripping and repainting operation, carried out on two Airbus A350-900 jets.

The process involves removing an aircraft’s existing paint before applying new coats to meet strict aerodynamic and aesthetic standards. Industry specialists say such work not only enhances an aircraft’s appearance but can also improve operational performance.

Group Chief Executive Mesfin Tasew said the upgrade forms part of a strategy to build an integrated maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) value chain. It will enable the group to cut costs and generate new revenue by providing MRO services to other regional airlines. Until now, most African carriers have had to carry out such work outside Africa, adding ferry costs and extending aircraft downtime.

The development adds to Ethiopian Airlines’ broader push to expand its MRO capacity. In late July, the group opened new facilities valued at about $150 million, including modern hangars, an aeronautical component workshop and a spare parts warehouse. Last year, Ethiopian also signed an agreement with European aircraft manufacturer ATR to provide maintenance services for ATR 500 and 600 series aircraft.

Only a handful of MRO centres in Africa have the technical capability to service a wide range of aircraft, including South African Airways Technical in South Africa, EgyptAir Maintenance and Engineering in Egypt, KQ MRO in Kenya, and Royal Air Maroc’s associated facility in Morocco.

Henoc Dossa