Ethiopian Airlines has today announced that their MRO operations have achieved CFM LEAP-1B testing capabilities. The carrier has inaugurated their LEAP-1B engine test cell at their Addis Ababa MRO Services facility.
On Tuesday (July 9, 2024), Ethiopian Airlines announced that their Addis Ababa MRO services facility has achieved testing capabilities for CFM International LEAP-1B engines, with the inauguration of their LEAP-1B engine test cell. This gives Ethiopian full testing capability of the LEAP-1B engine, which is the exclusive powerplant for the Boeing 737 MAX Family airplanes. The newly launched LEAP-1B testing facility makes Ethiopian Airlines the 5th global facility outside of the Safran Aero Engines (SAE) and General Electric (GE) network, and the first in the Middle East and Africa.
In Tuesday’s announcement, Ethiopian Airlines Group’s CEO, Mr. Mesfin Tasew, said,
“We feel proud for achieving full testing capability for the CFM Leap-1B engine at our modern MRO facility in Addis Ababa. The addition of this state-of-the-art facility will enable us to finalize the development of Performance Restoration Shop Visit (PRSV1) repair capability on the engine, which is expected to be ready very soon. We extend our appreciation to SAE, GE and the other partners who contributed to this success.”
Ethiopian Airlines plans to complete the Phase 2 – Performance Restoration Shop Visit (PRSV1) project by the end of September 2024, which will also enable the carrier to offer LEAP-1B PRSV solutions.
Established in 1957, Ethiopian MRO Services is the largest MRO facility in Africa, and provides line maintenance services at stations where Ethiopian flies, and extends the service to African and Middle East operators. Ethiopian’s MRO facility is fully equipped with hangars and engine and component maintenance workshops, all equipped to repair/overhaul aircraft, engines and components. The MRO operation has been certified by the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), among others.
Ethiopian Airlines is the fastest growing airline in Africa. The carrier commands the largest share of Pan-African passenger and cargo service and operates one of the youngest and most modern fleets in the world. In addition to their main hub in Addis Ababa, the carrier is also pursuing a multi-hub strategy through a hub in Lomé, Togo with ASKY, in Lilongwe, Malawi with Malawi Airlines, and in Lusaka, Zambia with Zambia Airways. Ethiopian serves over 150 destinations across five continents with a fleet of ultra-modern fuel efficient aircraft including Airbus A350-900s, Boeing 787-8/9 Dreamliners, Boeing 777-300ERs, Boeing 777-200LRs, Boeing 777-200 Freighters and De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400s. The airline’s fleet has an average age of seven years and Ethiopian was the first African carrier to operate all of the previously mentioned aircraft types.
Source: Ethiopian Airlines