News Authority, AAU embark transformation program for underdeveloped aviation industry
November 9, 2024
Despite its vast potential, the Ethiopian aviation industry accounts for less than six percent of GDP, finds a new consultative study. The Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority (ECAA) is partnering with Addis Ababa University (AAU) to develop and implement a comprehensive program officials hope will enable the industry to live up to its potential.
The University is charged with drawing up a roadmap for the Civil Aviation Transformation Program (CATP), including terms of reference documents for dozens of projects and initiatives.
Representatives from ECAA and AAU sat down for a validation workshop on November 8, 2024.
“The CATP project was initiated by the director of ECAA to reverse the fact that Ethiopia’s aviation industry is behind its own potential and global dynamism,” said an ECAA official, who spoke to The Reporter anonymously.
He pointed to ECAA’s unsophisticated structure as evidence of the unmet potential. The Authority comprises only two departments – air navigation and aviation regulation.
“The global trend indicates there should be several departments and areas the aviation authority should work on. The global aviation industry is getting complex,” said the official.
The inception report presented during the workshop identified several factors hampering the industry and called for further analyses to be used as input for preparation of the CATP.
“Although Ethiopian Airlines has established itself as one of the leading air transport operators in the world, data shows that the rest of the aviation sector in Ethiopia has not developed as it should,” states the report.
The gaps include unsatisfactory tourism numbers in the country and the prevalence of transit customers in commercial passenger transport, the death of private operators, too much focus on Bole International Airport, dependence on foreign suppliers for maintenance and manufacturing, limited training opportunities, and policy shortcomings.
“The general aviation sector is far behind where it needs to be, despite its huge potential contribution to the country’s development ambitions,” states the report.
It mentions the absence of airstrips despite Ethiopia’s large geographical scope and high population as a key bottleneck. The underdeveloped aerospace manufacturing sector, as well as uncoordinated and duplicative efforts at capacity building and innovation are also cited as gaps.
The experts in charge of drawing up the program say fast changing technological advances and strict environmental and space regulations make their work difficult.
The industry’s inherent need for large capital investment is also seen as a hurdle for transformation.
Due to financial risks and aversion to bold innovations, airlines and industry players may prefer gradual changes over bold ones, potentially deterring the swift adoption of transformative technologies, reads the report.
Outdated infrastructure and technology systems and the complexity of the industry as a whole also pose challenges, according to the report.
The minimal private sector involvement in the aviation sector limits competition and innovation, it reads. Its authors suggest developing projects that encourage cooperation with Ethiopian Airlines as a potential avenue for developing private investment in aviation.
“With concerted efforts from stakeholders across the industry, the aviation sector can overcome its challenges and soar into a more sustainable and technologically advanced future,” reads the report.
AAU, the consulting advisor on the CATP, is tasked with several assignments in a bid to transform the industry, along with industry stakeholders. Several experts from the transport engineering department at the Addis Ababa Institute of Technology (AAiT) have been assigned to the project team in charge of preparing the roadmap.
Bikila Teklu (PhD), head of Transport Engineering at AAiT, has been designated project manager.
The Ethiopian aviation industry comprises one dominant flag carrier, 11 certified AOC operators, five training organizations, two domestic maintenance and repair organizations and nine foreign ones, and 23 airports, four of which are internationally certified.
There are also 20 active airstrips and 230 registered civilian aircraft (of which Ethiopian Airlines holds 188).
ECAA employs nearly 230 technical professionals, the majority of whom are engaged in air navigation systems. The others are involved in aviation regulation and air transport.