Ethiopian Airlines is expanding the role of its aviation university into a regional training hub as Africa faces a growing shortage of aircraft maintenance technicians and engineers. The airline told Aviation Week that demand for licensed maintenance engineers, avionics specialists and technicians is rising faster than the available talent pool.

The Ethiopian Aviation University was originally established to meet the flag carrier's own workforce requirements. The airline is now making remaining capacity at the institution available to third parties, including airlines, maintenance, repair and overhaul providers, aviation authorities and individual trainees from Africa and beyond.

The university's international reach was highlighted by the recent graduation of 115 aircraft maintenance technicians from 12 countries, including Cameroon, Chad, Madagascar, Senegal and Tanzania. Ethiopian expects international student numbers to grow through expanded partnerships.

Ethiopian identifies a shortage of qualified instructors and limited training capacity as key constraints on maintenance training across Africa. Its long-term goal is to establish the university as a reliable aviation training center for the international community.

Source: Aviation Week