Ethiopian Airlines is in talks with Rwanda and the
Democratic Republic of Congo to purchase stakes in their carriers and
manage them, its chief executive said.
Discussions with Kigali and Kinshasa follow similar deals with Malawi and South Sudan, part of efforts to become a global carrier and put the airline at the heart of travel in Africa.
Ethiopia's state-owned airline is ranked the largest airline in Africa by revenue and profit by IATA.
"We have a technical agreement with Rwandair and we manage the technical maintenance of their fleet. We are going to expand that to a commercial and equity partnership," chief executive Tewolde Gebremariam told Reuters news agency.
"We are also in discussions with the Democratic Republic of Congo," he said, adding that the firm was also looking at opportunities in Uganda. He did not name carriers.
Ethiopian Airlines operates and manages Malawi Airlines after a deal signed in 2013 and has signed a memorandum of understanding with South Sudan to help set up a national carrier for a country which won independence in 2011.
The Ethiopian carrier has a deal too with ASKY, the West African airline, whose shareholders also include the ECOWAS regional bloc of countries and a number of banks.
Ethiopian currently has a fleet of 77 aircraft, including 10 787-8 Dreamliners. It was the first airline to fly the 787 commercially, has three more on order and wants to order more, including a larger version.
"Boeing is fully booked on 787 so as soon as we can get the slots we are going to order," Tewolde said.
For now, it has a total of 44 planes on order, including 14 Airbus A350s and 20 Boeing 737 MAX.
The airline is still evaluating the purchase of the Boeing 777X, part of plans to double its fleet to 150 aircraft by 2025, Tewolde said, adding decisions were likely by July.
source :Reuters
Discussions with Kigali and Kinshasa follow similar deals with Malawi and South Sudan, part of efforts to become a global carrier and put the airline at the heart of travel in Africa.
Ethiopia's state-owned airline is ranked the largest airline in Africa by revenue and profit by IATA.
"We have a technical agreement with Rwandair and we manage the technical maintenance of their fleet. We are going to expand that to a commercial and equity partnership," chief executive Tewolde Gebremariam told Reuters news agency.
"We are also in discussions with the Democratic Republic of Congo," he said, adding that the firm was also looking at opportunities in Uganda. He did not name carriers.
Ethiopian Airlines operates and manages Malawi Airlines after a deal signed in 2013 and has signed a memorandum of understanding with South Sudan to help set up a national carrier for a country which won independence in 2011.
The Ethiopian carrier has a deal too with ASKY, the West African airline, whose shareholders also include the ECOWAS regional bloc of countries and a number of banks.
Ethiopian currently has a fleet of 77 aircraft, including 10 787-8 Dreamliners. It was the first airline to fly the 787 commercially, has three more on order and wants to order more, including a larger version.
"Boeing is fully booked on 787 so as soon as we can get the slots we are going to order," Tewolde said.
For now, it has a total of 44 planes on order, including 14 Airbus A350s and 20 Boeing 737 MAX.
The airline is still evaluating the purchase of the Boeing 777X, part of plans to double its fleet to 150 aircraft by 2025, Tewolde said, adding decisions were likely by July.
source :Reuters
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