Ethiopian Aviation Academy Voted "Airline Training Service Provider of the Year"

Tuesday 13th May 2014

Ethiopian Airlines, the fastest growing and most profitable airline in Africa, is pleased to announce that the Ethiopian Aviation Academy has been voted the 2014 "Airline Training Services Provider of the Year" by the African Airlines Association (AFRAA).

The Award was presented to Ethiopian Aviation Academy Managing Director, Mr. Samuel Assefa, during a Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony at the Annual Aviation Suppliers and Stakeholders Convention held in Nairobi, Kenya between 4 and 6 May 2014. The Ethiopian Aviation Academy was recognized for its cost effective and extensive training support to other fellow African airlines.

Ethiopian Aviation Academy is the biggest aviation academy in Africa with an annual in-take of 1,000 students in key areas of aviation such as pilots, aircraft technicians, Cabin Crew, Customer Service experts as well as finance and Sales/marketing.

CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Group, Mr. Tewolde Gebremariam, said, "We are very honored by this recognition from fellow African airlines and our Association for our continued efforts to provide world class aviation training to our beloved continent. Historically, one third of our Academy graduates have been from other African countries.

In order to satisfy the growing need for aviation professionals in Africa, we have invested $80 million over the last three years to upgrade the in-take capacity of our Academy, which has now reached 1,000 trainees per year. Going forward, per our Vision 2025, we will continue to invest heavily in our Academy with the objective of increasing this in-take capacity to about 4,000 students per year by 2025. The aim is not only to support our needs and the successful implementation of our Vision 2025 fast, profitable and sustainable growth strategy but also to avail skilled aviation professionals for the entire African airline industry".

Ethiopian Aviation Academy has recently been transformed into a profit centre of the Ethiopian Airlines Group, and provides training to pilots, aviation technicians, cabin crew as well as marketing and finance professionals. It is certified by the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority, the U.S Federal Aviation Administration, European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), and IOSA (IATA Safety Audit).

About Ethiopian Airlines:

Ethiopian Airlines (Ethiopian) is the fastest growing Airline in Africa. In its operations in the past close to seven decades, Ethiopian has become one of the continent's leading carriers, unrivalled in efficiency and operational success.

Ethiopian commands the lion share of the pan-African passenger and cargo network operating the youngest and most modern fleet to more than 80 international destinations across five continents.

The Ethiopian fleet includes ultra-modern and environmentally friendly aircraft such as the Boeing 787, Boeing 777-300ER, Boeing 777-200LR, Boeing 777-200LR Freighter and Bombardier Q-400 with double cabin. In fact, Ethiopian is the first airline in Africa to own and operate these aircraft.

Ethiopian is currently implementing a 15-year strategic plan called Vision 2025 that will see it become the leading aviation group in Africa with seven business centers: Ethiopian Domestic and Regional Airline; Ethiopian International Passenger Airline; Ethiopian Cargo; Ethiopian MRO; Ethiopian Aviation Academy; Ethiopian In-flight Catering Services; and Ethiopian Ground Service.

Ethiopian is a multi-award winning airline registering an average growth of 25% in the past seven years.