RwandAir signs maintenance agreements for new aircraft

 

When on the 03rd of March RwandAir’s latest acquisition, a Bombardier Q400 dual class turboprop aircraft will join the fleet in Kigali, a new technical support agreement will just have come into effect, which the airline signed a few weeks ago with Ethiopian Airlines for the line maintenance of this aircraft type.

 

The technical support agreement was signed by RwandAir’s Chief Executive Officer Mr. John Mirenge and Ethiopian Airlines CEO Mr. Tewolde Gebremariam. Under the agreement Ethiopian will provide technical support service to RwandAir as of 01st of March for line maintenance up to A-Check level and component exchange support for the new Bombardier Q400 aircraft, an aircraft type also flown by Ethiopian Airlines.

 

Ethiopian’s MRO Services will base a technical team in Kigali to carry out the day to day maintenance on site while getting additional support from their main base in Addis Ababa should the need arise. John Mirenge said: ‘Rwandair recognizes the important role Ethiopian Airlines has played as a pioneer MRO provider in Africa over the years thus it was imperative that we explore the opportunity for MRO partnership. Agreements such as the momentous one signed here today further strengthen the bond between RwandAir and Ethiopian Airlines while continuing to show the world that the African aviation industry remains a vital catalyst for African economic growth and advancement’.

 

Ethiopian’s MRO has a facility certified by both the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the European Aviation Safety Agency and has MRO capabilities in Boeing and Bombardier aircraft. RwandAir has taken advantage of having the same MRO servicing their two Boeing 737-800NG’s, their two Boeing 737-700NG’s as well as their brand new Q-400 NextGen due to arrive on 03rd of March.

 

This new agreement builds on the already strong relationship RwandAir enjoys with Ethiopian Airlines through the ongoing pilot training program RwandAir pilots go though as well engineer training which has seen RwandAir engineering staff graduate from the Ethiopian Airlines training programme. RwandAir is, according to John Mirenge, also on course to add more destinations over and above Douala within 2014 and will continue to add more aircraft to reach their goal of a fleet of 17 by 2020.

 

Source: eturbonews