Ethiopian’s Group CEO, Tewolde GebreMariam, said the airline is considering obtaining China’s Comac C919 passenger planes. Mr. Tewolde told the Chinese state media Xinhua that Ethiopian is working to follow up the progress of the C919 planes by forming a joint committee with their Chinese counterparts.

He said that Ethiopian Airlines’ engineers are working with the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) engineers to evaluate the suitability of C919 passenger planes, as they consider adding the C919 planes to their fleet when the airplanes are ready for sales.

The Group CEO further noted that Ethiopian "is working with [the] Chinese government to make Addis Ababa an aviation hub between China and Africa. Addis Ababa will not only be a transfer point for air traffic and cargo, but also a hub for growth of Chinese aviation technology in Africa." Ethiopian already buys a variety of goods from China, including aircraft related machinery and furniture.

COMAC is the major commercial aircraft developer in China. The C919, China's first self-developed trunk jetliner, conducted a successful maiden flight on May 5, 2017, at Shanghai Pudong International Airport.

Ethiopian Airlines currently operates daily passenger flights from Addis Ababa to Guangzhou and Beijing, and thrice-weekly passenger flights to Chengdu, as well as daily passenger and cargo flights to Hong Kong and Shanghai. The Star-Alliance airline has also announced it will sign cooperation agreements with Chongqing and Zhengzhou airports this month, planning to start cargo flights between Ethiopia and these two more Chinese locations.

Source: Xinhua

Image Source: COMAC