Ethiopian has once again become the leading continental carrier to operate the Airbus A350 XWB Full Flight Simulator, just less than two years after it started operating the cutting-edge Airbus A350 XWB aircraft.
Africa’s first A350 Full Flight Simulator has been inaugurated on February 23, 2018 at a colourful ceremony attended by Ambassadors, ShebaMiles members, stakeholders, invited guests, journalists and Ethiopian staff and management members.
Speaking at the grand event, Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam, Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, congratulated all Ethiopian employees and the stakeholders involved in the milestone.
Mr. Tewolde also remarked, “The A350 Full Flight Simulator, the first in Africa and among the very few in the world, is a symbol of success for globalization as components of the simulators come from various countries. We are proud for being self-sufficient in training on the Airbus A350, in less than two years since we received Africa’s first A350 aircraft in June 2016.”
Ato Tewolde added, “So far, Ethiopian owns six simulators and will be adding the 7th for the B737 MAX aircraft which we are receiving in about nine months’ time. These simulators strengthen our self-sufficiency for basic, recurrent or any other type of pilot training for all the fleet we operate that will in turn saves cost and stops sending of pilots to overseas for training.
Ethiopian milestone is a symbol of confidence for Africa and airlines in the continent as they can use the machine at a competitive cost, within shorter distance in their own continent. Going forward, we are opening 10 new destinations in a semester, between March and June; a good news for the international community residing in Addis as they can reach wherever they like with most of our direct flights for their business, tourism, trade and other socio-economic activities.”
This machine is fitted with a full electrical motion system which delivers improved performance while providing energy savings and environmental benefits.
