Ethiopian Airlines Chief Executive Officer,(CEO), Tewolde GebreMariam, has retired from the airline over ill health. The airline said in a statement that GebreMariam has been undergoing medical treatment in the US in the last six months and as such, is unable to continue leading the airline as the CEO, a duty which demands closer presence and full attention round the clock.

GebreMariam requested to the Board that he go for early retirement to focus his full attention on his medical treatment. The Board, in its ordinary meeting held on Wednesday, March 23, 2022, accepted his request.GebreMariama led the Airline for over a decade with remarkable success reflected in its exceptional performance in all parameters including but not limited to exponential growth from $1 billion annual turnover to $4.5 billion, from 33 airplanes to 130 airplanes and from three million passengers to 12 million passengers (pre-COVID).

Under his leadership, the airline group has grown by four fold in all measurements building more than $700 million worth of vital infrastructure like Africa’s biggest hotel, cargo terminal, MRO hangars and shops, aviation academy and full flight simulators.(Saturday Sun:Excludes headline)