Ethiopian Airlines and CFM celebrate 10-year relationship

ADDIA ABEBA, Ethiopia — 4 November 2014 — Ethiopian Airlines and CFM International today celebrated more than 10 years of strong partnership.

The Ethiopian flag carrier has been a CFM customer since it began operating CFM56-7B-powered Boeing 737-700 aircraft in 2003. Today, the airline operates a fleet of CFM56-7B-powered Boeing Next-Generation 737 aircraft, with three additional aircraft on order. Earlier this year, the airplane also announced an order for LEAP-1B engines to power 20 firm, 15 option Boeing 737 MAX aircraft scheduled to begin delivery in 2018.

“We are very happy to celebrate this 10 years milestone between Ethiopian and CFM partnership. I wish to thank the entire CFM team, management and employees, for the strong support they continue to give us," said Tewolde Gebremariam, Ethiopian Chief Executive Officer. "We have invested about $21 million to develop the CFM engine overhaul capacity, not just for our fleet but also for those of other African airlines with the view of becoming a preferred CFM engine service facility on the continent. With Ethiopian registering fast, profitable and sustainable growth in line with its Vision 2025 strategic roadmap, we look forward to many more years of mutually beneficial partnership.”

“It is an honor to be here today representing the CFM team as we celebrate our relationship with this fantastic airline,” said Jean-Paul Ebanga, president and CEO of CFM International. “Ethiopian has worked hard to hear its much-deserved reputation for quality. The airline continues to maintain some of the best fleet reliability statistics in the industry and, in 2013, overhauled its first CFM56-7B engine. We are honored to work hand-in-glove with the team to support their 737 fleet today and look forward to introducing the new LEAP engine into this fleet in a few years.”

Ethiopian, the largest airline in Africa, currently serves more than 83 destinations across five continents with a current fleet of more than 50 Boeing airplanes that includes Next-Generation 737s, 757s, 767s, 777s, 787 Dreamliners and a cargo fleet that includes 757 and 777 Freighters and MD-11s.