Ethiopian MRO Services is pleased to announce that it has developed shop overhaul capability for the CFM56-3 and CFM56-7 engines. Ethiopian MRO was granted approval for such capabilities from the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority (ECAA) and the USA Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Ethiopian has invested about USD 21million to develop the engine overhaul capacity. The project includes, expansion of the existing Engine Maintenance shop, procurement of the required machineries, equipment and tools, personnel training, upgrading the existing Test Cell etc. The new capability development took almost three years to complete with the assistance of General Electric (GE) Aviation.
“We would like to extend our appreciation and thanks to GE Aviation and Snecma/CFMI who genuinely helped Ethiopian Airlines in making this project successful,” said Mr. Zemene Nega, SVP Ethiopian MRO. “Ethiopian has Engine Overhaul Support Agreement (EOSA) with CFMI, manufacturer of both engines for the continued support of the engine overhaul activities in the Ethiopian Engine Shop.” He added.
The CFM56-3 and CFM56-7 engines are the sole engine models that power the Boeing 737 Classics and the Boeing 737 New Generation (NG) airplanes. Both the 737 Classics and the 737 NGs are widely used in Africa and the Middle East. Ethiopian MRO already has full airframe maintenance capability for both aircraft models. The addition of the CFM56-3 and -7 engines in to the Ethiopian MRO capability will provide airline operators a convenient one stop shopping for their Boeing 737 fleet maintenance requirements.
Ethiopian, per its strategic Road map of Vision 2025, is transforming its MRO facility to become the leading and the most competitive MRO service provider in Africa to support the growth of the air transport service in the region.
Source: Ethiopian Airlines