Ethiopian Academy graduates 262 professionals

ETHIOPIAN Aviation Academy a full ICAO TRAINAIR Plus Member and IATA Authorized/Accredited Training Center, has announced that it has graduated 262 aviation professionals at a graduation ceremony held at the academy’s Commercial and Cabin Crew Training center October 7, 2017.

The academy has graduated 50 pilots, 66 aviation maintenance technicians, 120 cabin crew and 26 Equipment and Facility Maintenance technicians; 10 majoring in Industrial Mechanics and 16 in Industrial Electricity.

This round of graduates includes a total of 34 Cameroonian, Rwandese, Equatorial Guinean, Togolese, and Congolese nationals, which testifies Ethiopian Pan-African stance and key role in the development of African aviation. Group CEO, Ethiopian Airlines Group, Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam, congratulated and welcomed the new graduates to the airline’s dedicated workforce, gave out diplomas to all the graduates, flight wings to graduating pilots and cabin crew and achievement award to graduates with outstanding academic performance.

Mr. Tewolde remarked, “Education is the greatest Equalizer in our world today and Human Resource Development (HRD) is one of the Four Pillars of our Vision 2025 Strategic Growth Plan. In line with this belief we have invested adequately in capacity building in the Ethiopian Aviation Academy, which is the largest and most modern in the continent of Africa. The Academy has been training and graduating the required Aviation Professionals both for Ethiopian Airlines Group and other partner airline around the region. It has the capacity to support our vision 2025 growth plan with adequate aviation professionals and to contribute its share towards the development of Aviation in Africa. While I congratulate today’s graduates for their success, I also wish them the best of success when they join our winning Team of strong work force.”

Currently, the academy trains 2000 aviation professionals per annum and it envisages enhancing its intake capacity to 4,000 by 2025.

Meanwhile, the airline Group, has announce that it has been recognized as Middle East and Africa Airline of the Year 2017 by Airline Economics, the largest aviation finance and leasing print publication in the world, at a Gala Dinner held in Dubai on October 3, 2017.

Winners in the Middle East & Africa Aviation 100 Awards Category have been chosen among the airlines in the Middle East and Africa through customer survey conducted by Airline Economics Magazine. Ethiopian outperformed major airlines in the Middle East and Africa to win this prestigious award.

Group CEO Ethiopian Airlines, Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam, remarked; “It is a tremendous honour to be recognized as Airline of the Year and to stand out from among the major Middle East and African carriers thru a vote of the readers of one of the most renowned aviation magazines, Airline Economics. Although I am very happy by the several awards and recognitions that we have been receiving from all corners of the world, I am particularly inspired by this award since our remarkable success and fast growth in all aspects of our business has gradually started to position us in a leadership position outside the continent of Africa. I thank the leaders and the team at Airline Economics for the recognition. Likewise, I would like to thank our valued customers for their continued vote of confidence and support. I also thank our strong team of more than 12,000 colleagues for their special dedication and commitment to our beloved airline and our customers. We are working together to build one of the best Global Aviation Group by scaling up the unmatched and seamless connectivity of network between the Continent of Africa and the rest of the world with more than 100 international destinations operated by the most modern and less than 5 years old airplanes on average. Ethiopian Airlines Group is among the very few airlines in the world which has shown leadership in both of the most technologically advanced airplanes in the world today which are the B-787 Dream liners and the Airbus A-350s’.”

Philip Tozer-Pennington, Managing Director of Airline Economics and Aviation News Ltd, while presenting the awards on the night, said; “Ethiopian Airlines is an Africand an international airline success story. The airline is the clear winner of the industry vote for the best performing airline in the MEA region over the past 12 months. I wish to congratulate Ethiopian Airlines on this remarkable success.” Ethiopian is multi award-winning airline: SKYTRAX World Airline Award for Best Airline in Africa, Best Airline Staff in Africa; AFRAA- Best Airline in Africa – 5 years in a row, Best Airline to Africa”, for a second year in a row, “Best Airline in Africa” by US Premier Traveler magazine; Bombardier’s Airline Reliability Performance Award for the 6th Year in a Row; Passenger Choice Awards for “Best Airline in Africa for the third time in a row; Outstanding Food Service by a Carrier in Africa by Pax International Magazine.