Ethiopia becomes Boeing’s Africa Headquarters
Boeing has decided to open its African headquarters in Ethiopia, according to a statement on its website on Monday.
Ethiopian Airlines, being a world-class airline and because of its safety records and travel destination, made the East African country Boeing’s preferred choice for its regional office on the continent, according to its statement.
The decision puts Ethiopia ahead of Kenya and South Africa as the preferred location for the aerospace giant’s latest expansion plans in Africa, a continent expected to have a rapidly expanding air travel industry in the years and decades ahead.
In preparation for this move, Boeing had earlier appointed Henok Shawl, a former executive at Ethiopian Airlines, as the managing director for its
Africa division.
“Africa’s abundant natural resources and burgeoning young workforce are poised to drive significant growth in air traffic and airplane demand over the next two decades,” Boeing said.
Boeing anticipates that African carriers will need 1,030 new jet aircraft within the next 20 years, with 80% of these deliveries aimed at expanding the existing fleet.
