Ethiopian Airlines CEO’s Message to Customers on 787 Dreamliner

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (Press Release) –

To Our Valued Customers,

On behalf of Ethiopian Airlines, I would like to personally apologize for the inconvenience you may have experienced as a result of the grounding of our Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

As a testament of our commitment to safety and following US Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) airworthiness directives, we have taken steps to ground four of our 787 fleet from service on the very day of the FAA decision. We have not encountered the type of problems such as those experienced by the other operators. However, as an extra precaution, Ethiopian has decided to remove its four Dreamliners from operation starting January 17, 2013.

Since then, Boeing and FAA have been working around the clock to find out the causes of the two incidents on the battery of the 787. Boeing is continuing to work with the FAA to demonstrate the safety of the 787 and return the fleet to service as soon as possible.

All of us here hope that the cause of the problem will be identified soon. We are sincerely looking forward to the opportunity of welcoming you again onboard the Dreamliner and provide you the wonderful Dreamliner experience that you deserve.

Once again, please accept our sincere apologies. For updated information about Ethiopian 787 Dreamliners, pleases visit www.ethiopianairlines.com/787update.

Tewolde Gebremariam, Chief Executive Officer