Ethiopian goes Airbus Flight Hour Services for A350 fleet

February 17, 2025 in Companies, Transport, Travel & Tourism by Editor

Left: Laurent Negre, Vice President of Customer Services for Airbus Africa and Middle East Right: Ato Retta Melaku, Chief Operating Officer of Ethiopian Airlines

Ethiopian joins  Uganda Airlines and Air Tanzania which are already on Flight Hour Services for their Airbus fleets

Ethiopian has become the third carrier in East Africa to sign to Airbus Flight Hour Services, joining Uganda Airlines and Air Tanzania, which signed a similar contract in November 2021.

Airbus announced contract covering Ethiopians present fleet of 24 A350s for seven years on February 17, 2025. The contract provides for the comprehensive maintenance of ET’s entire fleet of Airbus A350 aircraft, including the A350-900 and A350-1000 variants.

Under the agreement Airbus will provide ET with dedicated on-site stock in Addis-Ababa, access to Airbus material pools worldwide, as well as repair and engineering support for a wide range of critical rotable parts, the duo said in a statement.

As part of the agreement ET will also benefit from Airbus’ extensive engineering expertise, guaranteed component availability, rapid access to essential parts, and optimised maintenance processes. This will ensure minimal aircraft downtime and maximise operational reliability across its global network.

“As the first African operator of the A350 Family, we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of performance and reliability across our fleet. Partnering long-term with Airbus through this FHS agreement will help us optimise operations, reduce maintenance-related delays, and ensure our passengers continue to experience the best in safety, comfort, and service,” said Retta Melaku, Chief Operating Officer of Ethiopian Airlines.

Laurent Negre, the Vice President of Customer Services for Airbus Africa and Middle East, said the partnership “reinforces Airbus’ commitment to delivering tailor-made maintenance solutions that support airlines in achieving the highest levels of operational efficiency. We are proud to support Ethiopian Airlines with our Flight Hour Services solution to enhance fleet reliability and streamline maintenance operations for its A350s.”

Ethiopian Airlines was the first African carrier to operate both A350-900, in June 2016 and A350-1000, which entered service in November 2024.

Combined with the contracts with Uganda airlines and Air Tanzania, Airbus now has 30 airframes under its Flight Hour Services model in the region comprising four A220s, two A330-800 and 24 A350s. More than 1,400 aircraft worldwide are currently covered by Airbus FHS agreements. The latter figure represents a growth of nearly 300 new aircraft over the past three years, reflecting the growing popularity of the programme.

Airbus touts its Flight Hour Services (FHS) as a “comprehensive maintenance solution designed to help airlines ensure component reliability and availability while controlling maintenance costs.” Through a combination of pooled inventory, on-site stock, and tailored repair and engineering support, FHS helps carriers optimise operations and improve fleet reliability.