France Keen to Shore up Bilateral Cooperation with Ethiopia Airlines

Addis Ababa ENA July22/2019  France expressed its commitment to reinforce economic relationships with Ethiopia substantially in aviation sector, considering as one of key cooperation areas.

French Economic and Finance Minister, Bruno Le Maire, who arrived at Bole international airport on Monday for a half-day official visit to Ethiopia, held discussion with CEO of Ethiopian Airlines on ways of  bolstering partnerships.

Speaking to ENA after the discussion, the minister said France is keen to cement economic ties with Ethiopia in various fields.

According to the minister, Ethiopian aviation industry is one of the major areas in which France will underpin its relationship.

“We think that Ethiopian Airlines Group is one of the key spheres for the reinforcement of this relationship,” Maire stated.

Noting that he had made a fruitful discussion with Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO, Tewolde Gebremariam, which would enable France to supply various models of airbuses and assist the expansion projects run by Ethiopian Airlines.

“We have a lot of prospects for promoting airplanes and the development Bole International Airport and the expansion of the new airports in different part of Ethiopia. As a result, we will work very hard to try to accelerate the ongoing projects to be successful,” he noted.

Appreciating Ethiopian Airlines Groups on its commendable efforts in the aviation world, Maire said “I am very much impressed by the success story of Ethiopian Airlines and its activities. So, we want to support that through new strong cooperation between the French aviation companies and Ethiopian Airlines.”

Ethiopian Airlines CEO, Tewolde Gebremariam, on his part said Ethiopian Airlines is mainly interested in French based airbus planes.

Some 24 French airbus planes have been operational by the airlines and noted that “they are asking us to consider another models of airplanes like A320 planes which would enable us to make moderate flights.”

French companies have the desire to engage in terminals and airports expansion and that Agence Française de Développement Group (AFD) has alone allocated 100 million Euro in order to run the expansion of seven airport projects in Ethiopia, he added.