ExxonMobil is the sole lubricant supplier for leading airline Ethiopian Airlines

A path towards maintenance leadership

Ethiopian Airlines recently commemorated its 75th anniversary, a major milestone in its history as one of Africa’s most influential carriers. Among its many successes, the airline was resilient during the coronavirus pandemic, without any of its aircraft grounded.

With sights on the future, Ethiopian Airlines plans to enhance its third-party facilities and become a major MRO in the region, among other key ambitions. To support the airline in accomplishing these goals, ExxonMobil and Aeroservices, an ExxonMobil distributor, are dedicated to providing Ethiopian Airlines with unmatched aircraft maintenance insights and quality lubricant products.

Trust in quality products

Ethiopian Airlines is committed to working alongside industry-leading companies to help ensure its fleet is running as reliably and efficiently as possible. Due to the trust in ExxonMobil’s quality products and strong relationship with Aeroservices, Ethiopian Airlines recently made the decision to make ExxonMobil its sole lubricants supplier and will use Mobil Jet™ Oil 387, Mobil™ HyJet™ V, Mobil™ HyJet™ IV-Aplus, Mobilgrease™ 33 and Mobil™ Aviation Grease SHC™ 100 across its fleet.

The decades-long relationship with ExxonMobil and Aeroservices was a major factor in Ethiopian Airlines’ decision. In 2014, Ethiopian Airlines noticed that it was frequently replacing filters in the hydraulic systems of its aircraft, and turned to Aeroservices for help.

By working closely with ExxonMobil experts, Aeroservices recommended Ethiopian Airlines convert the hydraulic fluid in its fleet to Mobil HyJet V, a hydraulic fluid designed to protect against wear, corrosion, erosion and deposit control under severe operating conditions. Ethiopian Airlines quickly saw the new hydraulic fluid extend the life of the hydraulic system filters, ultimately reducing costs and unplanned downtime related to filter replacements.

Ethiopian has also since converted to Mobil Jet Oil 387 and Mobilgrease 33. The airline converted its A350 fleet and B787-9 aircraft with RR1000 engines to Mobil Jet Oil 387 for the purpose of technical enhancement after thoroughly studying its earlier used engine oil. The airline reported that converting to Mobil Jet Oil 387 helped improve additional long-term seal compatibility, oxidation and corrosion stability, coking control, oil stability and advanced wear performance, which is evident with their fleet being in air frequently. With Ethiopian flying to over 130 international destinations, converting to Mobilgrease 33 brought corrosion and wear reduction when exposed to water, especially in tropical conditions. Ethiopian also notes that this allowed them to use a single grease type across its whole fleet. Aeroservices supported Ethiopian Airlines throughout the process to make the transition seamless.

Looking forward, the airline will continue to depend on its ongoing relationship with Aeroservices and ExxonMobil to stay ahead of the curve.

Leveraging your supplier’s expertise

Increasingly, airlines need a supplier that is innovative, offers products that exceed requirements of specifications, ensures integrity of their products and serves as a dedicated partner to meet airlines’ evolving needs.

ExxonMobil offers solutions tailored to aircraft needs from nose-to- tail, and serves as a true teammate in determining the best product for a specific application. Beyond high-quality products, ExxonMobil provides best-in-class technical expertise, engineering support and inspection services to help reduce maintenance downtime, provide potential cost savings and proactively detect problems in oil and hydraulic systems — giving airlines reassurance that for every problem, their lubricant supplier has the dedicated experts to help resolve it.

Whether it’s answering technical questions on the phone or evaluating components on-site, ExxonMobil is committed to working with our authorized aviation lubricants distributors to help airlines identify and activate solutions for safe and efficient aircraft operations.