Former captain of
Ethiopian Airlines, Mulatu Lemlemayehu, owner of Dreamliner Hotel, is
establishing a new private airline and pilot training school, East
African Aviation, with an outlay of 57 million birr.
Captian Mulat is a
seasoned pilot who served Ethiopian Airlines for 39 years and has
accumulated 27,000 flight hours under his belt. While working for the
national flag carrier he commanded aircraft from the old DC3 to the
state-of-the-art jetliner, Dreamliner.
Mulat founded an
investment company called M.T.D.N and built Dreamliner Hotel in Addis
Ababa near Meskel Flower eight years ago. He started talking about the
new business venture with his former colleagues a year ago. He retired
from Ethiopian Airlines last August.
M.T.D.N owns the new
private airline, East African Aviation, and the pilot training school.
Captain Lemma Tekalign, general manager of East African Aviation, told
The Reporter that the company was undertaking a feasibility study and
working on paperwork for the last one year. Lemma said that the company
submitted application to the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority (ECAA).
“They evaluated our application swiftly and approved the documents. To
give us the Air Operator Certificate (AOC) and license for the pilot
training school they are waiting for the arrival of the aircraft that we
bought,” Captain Lemma said.
East African Aviation
will provide charter flight services. It will provide VIP flights and
flight services for international organizations, tourists, construction
and mining companies. It will offer flight services for aerial survey
and mapping work. The new private airline will also offer medical
evacuation (air ambulance services).
There will also be an
aero club where individuals who want to fly for leisure will be enrolled
as members and fly for a few hours during their leisure time.
According to the GM, East
African Aviation recently bought three aircraft. For the airline
operation the company both King Air 200 aircraft at a cost of two
million dollars from a US-based company. The aircraft is expected to
arrive at Bole International Airport after one month. East African
Aviation is planning to offer an air ambulance service. “We are
contemplating to bring Eurocopter and Cessna Citation aircraft that are
fully equipped with oxygen and all other emergency medical
equipment.”
East African Aviation
bought two trainer aircraft, Cessna172, from a Sweden-based company, Air
Unlimited, for EUR 380,000. The Cessna aircraft are now in Antwerp,
Belgium, undergoing some modification work. Lemma expects to receive
them after four weeks. “We hope to be operational in January
tentatively. Once we receive the aircraft ECAA will issue us the
necessary licenses,” he said.
The company also bought
two flight simulators for the pilot training school at a cost of 390,000
dollars. The company bought one Cessna and one King Air simulator from a
US-based company, Redbird Flight International. The flight simulators
are on their way to Djibouti Port.
The pilot training school
has dormitories and a canteen which can accommodate 24 cadets at a
time. The school has auditoriums, briefing rooms and a library.
Theoretical part of the training will be given in the premise of the
school while the flight lesson will be offered at the Bole International
Airport.
The school will offer
Private Pilot License (PPL) and Commercial Pilot License (CPL). It will
take a cadet four month to complete a PPL training program. The CPL
training takes 14 months. The tuition fee for PPL is USD 23,000 while
the CPL training costs USD 66,500. “These costs include accommodation,
meals, uniforms and other expenses. There is no hidden cost here,”
Captain Lemma said.
“We will not make money
out of the school. We just want to offer an internationally recognized
service in Ethiopia. It could be profitable after seven or eight years.
The tuition might seem expensive for those who are not in the aviation
industry. Fuel cost is cumbersome,” he said.
According to Lemma, the
trainer aircraft are equipped with a state-of-the-art flight instrument.
“We want to make it a five star flight school.”
Lemma is a veteran
Ethiopian Air Force pilot and former director of the Ethiopian Airlines
pilot training school. The headquarters of East African Aviation and
pilot training school is located in front of the Ethiopian Airlines
Aviation Academy off the ring road. The school has already hired four
instructors and hopes to admit 24 cadets.
- Source: http://www.thereporterethiopia.com
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