27 May 2024 | 20:33
APA-Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) Boeing has decided to open its African headquarters in Ethiopia, according to a statement on its website on Monday.
Ethiopian Airlines, being a world class airlines and because of its safety records and travel destination, made the East African country Boeing’s preferred choice for its regional office on the continent, said its statement.
The decision puts Ethiopia ahead of Kenya and South Africa as the preferred location for the aerospace giant’s latest expansion plans in Africa, a continent expected to have a rapidly expanding air travel industry in the years and decades ahead.
In preparation for this move, Boeing had earlier appointed Henok Shawl, a former executive at Ethiopian Airlines, as the managing director for its Africa division.
Shawl brings extensive experience in aviation and telecommunications, having recently served as the chief external affairs officer at Safaricom Telecommunication Ethiopia for six months.
“Africa’s abundant natural resources and burgeoning young workforce are poised to drive significant growth in air traffic and airplane demand over the next two decades,” Boeing said.
Boeing anticipates that African carriers will need 1,030 new jet aircraft within the next 20 years, with 80% of these deliveries aimed at expanding the existing fleet.
To uphold their prior business relations in 2023, Ethiopia and Boeing entered into a joint venture to manufacture some airplane parts in the country.
Ethiopia has a reputation as a diplomatic hub being the headquarters of the African Union.
MG/as/APA