Mesfin Tasew Bekele appointed new CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Group

The Board of Management of Ethiopian Airlines Group has announced the appointment of Mesfin Tasew Bekele as the new Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian Airlines Group, effective March 23, 2022.  

According to a statement from the airline, Bekele has been named as the successor to the Airline Group’s former CEO, Tewolde Gebremariam. Due to health issues, Gebremariam stepped down from his position as head of the group to enter early retirement. 

Bekele’s has 38 years of experience in airline management and operations. This covers areas of aircraft maintenance and engineering, procurement, information technology, flight operations, and corporate development, management, and leadership. 

He holds a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from Open University in the United Kingdom, as well as an MSc degree in Electrical Engineering specializing in Communications Engineering and a BSc degree in Electrical Engineering, both from Addis Ababa University. 

“I would like to congratulate Mr. Mesfin on his new appointment, and I am fully confident about his capabilities,” said Board Chairman of the airline group, Girma Wake.  

“We believe that Mr. Mesfin will lead the airline to an even greater success, keeping it on the right track that will see it grow through many generations to come. I urge the 17,000 employees of Ethiopian and the board members to stand with the new Group CEO to keep the airline fly high. We are also thankful for the remarkable contributions of the former Group CEO.” 

Mesfin Tasew Bekele responded saying: “I am honored and humbled to be appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian Airlines Group which I have been serving for nearly four decades in various positions. My new role gives me the opportunity to carry on with the fast and profitable growth of our beloved airline and take it to the next level. I call on all my colleagues at Ethiopian to join hands and forge ahead for further success.” 

Bekele already has a history with Ethiopian Airlines where he served as Chief Operating Officer of the airline from 2010 to 2021. He led the airline’s operations and the development of “internal resources to cope up with the airlines growth strategy”. 

Since 2021, Bekele has served as chief executive officer of ASKY Airlines, a strategic partner of Ethiopian Airlines.