Airbus signs flight hour services contract for Ethiopian Airlines’ A350 fleet

Airbus has signed a 7-year Flight Hour Services (FHS) contract with Ethiopian Airlines for the comprehensive maintenance of its fleet of 24 Airbus A350 aircraft, including both the A350-900 and A350-1000 models.

The agreement will provide Ethiopian Airlines with dedicated on-site stock in Addis-Abeba, access to Airbus material pools worldwide, as well as repair and engineering support for a wide range of critical rotable parts.

By leveraging Airbus’ extensive engineering expertise, Ethiopian Airlines will benefit from 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.

Retta Melaku, Chief Operating Officer of Ethiopian Airlines, said: “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.”

Laurent Negre, Vice President of Customer Services for Airbus Africa and Middle East, said: “This 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.”

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.