Ethiopian Airlines limits South African offer to pilots, planes

Ethiopian Airlines Group is willing to provide planes, pilots and maintenance services to beleaguered rival South African Airways as part of a joint venture with that country’s government. Africa’s biggest airline is offering operational assistance, Ethiopian CEO Tewolde GebreMariam said. The carrier isn’t interested in helping with debt repayments or the cost of reducing the workforce, he said. “We don’t want to deal with the legacy issues — the debt, labor claims and so on because that is very difficult for us not only in terms of financial outlay but also in terms of managing the restructuring,” the CEO said. “We want to make it very easy for them to start the airline by providing airplanes, by providing expertise, pilots, technicians, leadership.” Ethiopian could provide more modern Airbus 350s and Boeing 787s, he said, in comparison with SAA’s Airbus 340 planes. Tewolde called on African governments to be more aggressive in reopening borders following months of travel restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic. Ethiopian flights are on average 40% full, the CEO said. <br/>