At the Dubai Air Show, Boeing signed a memorandum of understanding with Ethiopian Airlines that will help the airline to bring cost savings to its maintenance operations with Boeing's 787 landing gear exchange program.

 “As the fastest growing airline in Africa, much of our success depends on our ability to seek out new ways to drive operational efficiency in our processes,” said Tewolde GebreMariam, Group Chief Executive Officer, Ethiopian Airlines.  “As the commercial airline market continues to recover, we believe these services offered by Boeing provide a reliable way to realize more stability and predictability in managing our overall maintenance operations and costs across our fleet.”

 With the landing gear exchange program, Boeing will guarantee availability of 29 landing gear shipsets wherever and whenever they are needed to support the Ethiopian 787 fleet, enabling more efficient and cost-effective maintenance operations.   

 The Boeing 787 landing gear exchange program greatly simplifies the contracting, scheduling and management of the landing gear overhaul process.  Through this program, air carriers can quickly exchange landing gears that need to be repaired or overhauled with a replacement set of certified landing gear from a dedicated resource pool maintained by Boeing. 

By managing all parts, engineering and technical aspects of the program, Ethiopian Airlines will have the flexible exchange solution they need to repair and replace landing gear while lowering inventory costs.  Boeing will also provide access to loaner Landing Gear shipsets and parts during unexpected AOG situations.

 “We value our long-standing relationship with Ethiopian Airlines, and are pleased to be able to provide these reliable and cost-effective services to help drive efficiency in maintenance and flight operations for their fleet,” said Anbessie Yitbarek, vice president of Commercial Services Sales and Marketing for Boeing.  “We look forward to implementing these programs to help them reduce maintenance time and quickly return their airplanes to service, and gain the optimal value from these services.”