As the Iran-Israel-United States conflict disrupts traditional shipping corridors and logistics, Ethiopian Airlines, the continent’s largest carrier, finds itself exposed to a maintenance chain built around hubs outside Africa, turning what was once a routine flow of engines and aircraft components into a slower, costlier undertaking for the Airline and its fleet.

The war in the Middle East is casting a long shadow beyond the front lines, reaching into its hangars in Addis Abeba, where the Airline's managers are being compelled to rethink a critical part of the business.

The pressure is acute because Ethiopian Airlines depends on original equipment manufacturers such as Rolls-Royce, Honeywell Aerospace, and General Electric (GE) Aerospace, which centralise spare parts and repair operations in hubs such as Dubai. The Airlines has traditionally sent its engines and specialised parts to these centres for repair. But the war has made the movement of parts more uncertain, expensive, and time-consuming, tightening pressure on maintenance, repair, and overhaul operations when the Airline is carrying a heavy financial burden.

Fuel remains its largest expense, consuming 40pc to 45pc of total costs, while aircraft maintenance follows at roughly 10pc to 15pc. That leaves little room for prolonged disruption. The fragility of that supply chain was demonstrated by an episode involving three vessels bound for Ethiopia. Carrying 120,000tn of diesel and 60,000tn of jet fuel, the ships were left stranded in the Arabian Gulf, evidence of how regional conflict can imperil the Airline’s daily operations and the wider systems that sustain them.

Inside Ethiopian Airlines, the response is no longer confined to contingency planning.

Mesfin Tasew, CEO of the Ethiopian Airlines Group (EAG), is overseeing a strategic shift toward domestic options, expanding in-house maintenance capacity gradually to reduce dependence on repair centres. The maintenance division is already more than a support function. It earns more than 110 million dollars from third-party services and operates eight hangars capable of handling 1,200 parent part numbers. However, African aviation maintenance revenue continues to leak to Europe and the Middle East, where more repair slots exist and a wider range of aircraft types can be serviced.

To keep more of that business on the continent, Ethiopian Airlines has begun work on a new maintenance facility through a joint venture with Asky Airlines, reviving a project first conceived more than a decade ago. The investment, 100 million dollars, is expected to be completed next year. It forms part of a broader expansion plan that also includes a facility at Bishoftu International Airport, expected to open around 2030.

Under the plan, heavy checks and complex overhauls will remain concentrated at Bole International Airport, while lighter tasks and a dedicated centre for light aircraft maintenance will move to Bishoftu.