While Nigeria has been losing billions of dollars due to the lack of adequate aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facilities, Ethiopian Airlines has officially inaugurated a major expansion of its Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) complex at Bole International Airport, positioning itself as the continent’s leading aircraft maintenance hub.

This deficiency in Nigeria has continued to force airlines to send aircraft overseas for maintenance, incurring significant costs and contributing to capital flight. The situation is exacerbated by foreign exchange scarcity, which makes it more expensive for airlines to pay for these services abroad.

While Nigeria continue to lag, Ethiopia’s $150 million investment, executed in partnership with Chinese infrastructure giant China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), includes several state-of-the-art facilities: a widebody aircraft hangar, a high-tech component maintenance centre, and a fully automated aircraft parts warehouse.

Mesfin Tasew, Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO, emphasised that the new infrastructure significantly boosts the airline’s capabilities. “With these new facilities, our airframe maintenance capacity increases by 50 percent. We are now not only able to support our growing fleet but also serve the needs of other African and Middle Eastern carriers,” he noted during the launch ceremony.

Certified to global standards

The expanded complex is certified by both the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), reinforcing its status as a world-class facility. Ethiopian Airlines now operates Africa’s most comprehensive MRO centre, capable of servicing multiple aircraft types from across the region.

Strategic Vision for the Continent

“This MRO facility is the largest in Africa because we operate the biggest fleet on the continent,” Tasew added. “This milestone is the result of consistent investment in infrastructure and talent.”

Ethiopian Airlines has long been a regional leader in aircraft maintenance services, already serving clients across Africa. The new facilities are expected to boost capacity further and generate substantial revenue through expanded third-party services.

Pioneering technology

The engineering challenge behind the construction was considerable. CCCC used cutting-edge techniques and introduced advanced technologies, including 5G-controlled remote lifting systems, for the first time in Ethiopia to assemble the massive steel structures.

“For the two-bay hangar, the steel structure span is approximately 90 meters, and the mass head about 31 meters,” said a CCCC engineer. “We employed first-of-its-kind nuclear and 5G tech to lift and assemble it in one go, an engineering first for the country.”

A symbol of African self-reliance

The expansion of Ethiopia’s MRO complex is more than a national accomplishment. It represents a bold step toward African aviation self-reliance, reducing dependency on overseas maintenance and underscoring Ethiopia’s growing influence in global aviation.

With enhanced infrastructure, skilled local labour, and an ambitious continental outlook, Ethiopian Airlines is not just flying higher; it is helping Africa maintain and control its skies with renewed confidence. (BusinessDay)