NigerianFLIGHTDECK Travel and Business Reportage 
ETHIOPIAN Airlines has announced an agreement with Guinea Airlines, for strategic partnership in management, maintenance and training, on January 30, 2018 at Ethiopian headquarters.
Ethiopian Group CEO Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam, Mr. Cheick Dem, from Guinea Airlines and Guinea’s Minister for Transport, H.E. Oyé Guilavogui signed the agreement in the presence the Minister and Strategic Adviser to the President, H.E. Ansoumane Condé, the Ambassador of Guinea in Addis Ababa, H.E. Ms. Sidibé Fatoumata Kaba, the Director General Guinea Civil Aviation, Mr. Mamady Kaba, and Ethiopian Executive Management members.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Mr. Tewolde said, “As part of our Vision 2025 and with a view to enable African airlines to regain market share for travel, to from and within the continent, we are establishing strategic
partnerships with many African countries. This partnership is in line with the recently launched African Single Air Transport Market at the African Union Heads of State Summit in Addis Ababa.
We are partnering with Guinea Airlines and other African countries because we have the capacity and the expertise to support our African brothers and sisters in the aviation sector. I appreciate the speed with which we
reached an agreement with Guinea Airlines thanks to the support of H.E. President Alpha Condé.
This is a trilateral partnership with Guinea, ASKY Airlines and Ethiopian Airlines with a view to fill the air connectivity vacuum in domestic Guinea market and between the Mano River countries. The time has come for
Africans to join hands as one and reclaim our rightful place in the global aviation industry.”
On behalf of Guinea Airlines CEO, Mr Cheick Dem for his part appreciated Ethiopian Airlines for the effort to realize the establishment of Guinea Airlines. He also vowed to honor the terms of the agreement and to ensure that the partnership will indeed be a model.
H.E. Mr. Oyé Guilavogui, the Guinean Minister for Transport, who co-signed the agreement, on his part, expressed his joy and said: “I thank the entire delegation that accompanied me for the realization of this partnership. I am very happy with the Ethiopian side who deployed a lot of efforts for the signing of this agreement. We hope that by the end of June, our aircraft will start flying to Conakry, neighboring countries as well as regional capitals.”
The Honorable Minister also noted that there are some prerequisites to be fulfilled on the Guinean side so to establish the airline no later than the end of June.
