Max disaster pits Boeing against Ethiopia's prized carrier
African air disasters always used to lead to the same conclusion -- with the airline blamed for poor maintenance, ancient planes or poorly trained pilots, and often a combination of all three. But when an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing Co. 737 crashed near Addis Ababa last month, a curious thing happened: Industry experts immediately began to question the safety not of the carrier, but the plane itself. The focus on Boeing’s new Max jet, rather than the perceived unreliability of an emerging-market airline, has a lot to do with the model’s two fatal -- and strikingly similar -- crashes within five months. But it also speaks volumes for the strides made by an African carrier that’s thrived against some of the biggest names in global aviation, in some of their most competitive markets. “Ethiopian has long taken the crown as the best airline in Africa but is also well regarded globally,” said John Strickland, an aviation analyst at JLS Consulting in London. CEO Tewolde GebreMariam “has had a long career in the industry and has overseen fleet investment and impressive network development strategy.” With a preliminary report on the disaster expected Thursday, a behind-the-scenes battle has taken shape over how to frame the results -- pitting the quality of Boeing’s technology against the training of Ethiopian Airlines pilots. The cockpit crew on EA Flight 302 followed protocol set out by the planemaker when the Max jet’s automated anti-stall system engaged shortly after the plane took off on March 10, people familiar with the matter said Wednesday, reinforcing concerns raised by regulators and lawmakers. That Ethiopian has mostly evaded criticism is partly due to the success of an airline founded more than half a century ago under former Emperor Haile Selassie. The carrier has expanded beyond its home market with a hub model that pulls in passengers from around the world to Addis Ababa and sends them onward to cities across sub-Saharan Africa. The strategy has made Ethiopian the continent’s biggest airline and its only consistently profitable one, a beacon of corporate free-thinking in a region where flag carriers are often government playthings. That’s despite being 100% owned by the Ethiopian state. Story has more background about the carrier.<br/>
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Max disaster pits Boeing against Ethiopia's prized carrier
African air disasters always used to lead to the same conclusion -- with the airline blamed for poor maintenance, ancient planes or poorly trained pilots, and often a combination of all three. But when an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing Co. 737 crashed near Addis Ababa last month, a curious thing happened: Industry experts immediately began to question the safety not of the carrier, but the plane itself. The focus on Boeing’s new Max jet, rather than the perceived unreliability of an emerging-market airline, has a lot to do with the model’s two fatal -- and strikingly similar -- crashes within five months. But it also speaks volumes for the strides made by an African carrier that’s thrived against some of the biggest names in global aviation, in some of their most competitive markets. “Ethiopian has long taken the crown as the best airline in Africa but is also well regarded globally,” said John Strickland, an aviation analyst at JLS Consulting in London. CEO Tewolde GebreMariam “has had a long career in the industry and has overseen fleet investment and impressive network development strategy.” With a preliminary report on the disaster expected Thursday, a behind-the-scenes battle has taken shape over how to frame the results -- pitting the quality of Boeing’s technology against the training of Ethiopian Airlines pilots. The cockpit crew on EA Flight 302 followed protocol set out by the planemaker when the Max jet’s automated anti-stall system engaged shortly after the plane took off on March 10, people familiar with the matter said Wednesday, reinforcing concerns raised by regulators and lawmakers. That Ethiopian has mostly evaded criticism is partly due to the success of an airline founded more than half a century ago under former Emperor Haile Selassie. The carrier has expanded beyond its home market with a hub model that pulls in passengers from around the world to Addis Ababa and sends them onward to cities across sub-Saharan Africa. The strategy has made Ethiopian the continent’s biggest airline and its only consistently profitable one, a beacon of corporate free-thinking in a region where flag carriers are often government playthings. That’s despite being 100% owned by the Ethiopian state. Story has more background about the carrier.<br/>
