Components on the Airbus A350-900 aircraft fleet of Ethiopian Airlines will be maintained by OEMServices after both parties signed a deal. 

Under the terms of the contract, which will run for approximately 10 years, OEMServices will provide the East African carrier with parts support from its Dubai facility. 

Services will include component pool access on a 24/7 basis along with specific repair coverage on the fleet, which will eventually climb to 24 aircraft. In preparation for the Ethiopian support, along with other carriers in the Middle East and Africa, OEMServices says it is expanding its pool of A350 components at its Dubai facility.

At present, 16 aircraft are in-service with eight more on order up to 20 Last year at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ethiopian used all 16 of its A350-900 fleet for freighter operations.

Ethiopian took delivery of its first A350 in June 2016. According to Aviation Week’s Fleet & MRO Forecast, the aftermarket value for the widebody aircraft in the Africa region stands at $45.9 million in 2021 with approximately 32 of the aircraft in service.