About 13 private airlines operating in Ethiopia have formed an association that will help them lobby for aviation industry players and cut down on red-tape in dealing with the federal government.

The association, named ‘Ethiopian Private Airlines Association’ (EPAA), will work closely with the Ministry of Transport, Ethiopian Civil Authority and Ethiopian Airports Enterprise to also improve aviation safety and security in the East African nation.

“This association will help private operators to exchange information among themselves and report security concerns to the relevant government bodies,” The Reporter quoted Abera Lemi, coordinator of the association and CEO of National Airways, saying.

“We shall discuss policy issues and take matters that hinder the development of general aviation in Ethiopia to the concerned government bodies,” he added.

While airline association are active in many other African countries, Ethiopia has lagged behind due to heavy involvement of the government in the industry, Lemi said.

Over the last decade the Ethiopian government under the vision 2025 strategic plan has made strides in increasing the number of airports in the second most populous country in Africa.

According to Endris Argaw, customer service director at the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority, the horn of Africa nation had only 10 airports ten years ago, but this has been increased to 23 in the past years and four of them are international airports, The Reporter said.