Ethiopian Airlines Group has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Aero HygenX, outlining a plan for fleetwide deployment and regional marketing of the company’s RAY autonomous UV-C light disinfecting robot. The MoU marks the entry into the African market for Aero HygenX, a Canadian company developing chemical-free pathogen-killing technologies for aircraft cabins and railway carriages.
The parties aim to establish local final assembly capabilities for the RAY robot, expediting rollout of the technology and creating local employment opportunities. The MoU also lays out a framework for Aero HygenX to exchange expertise and ideas with the Ethiopian Airlines Innovation Hub, which leads all innovation activities across Ethiopian Airlines. This collaboration is intended to further optimise the product design and determine where else in the retravel chain, and indeed the wider region, Aero HygenX’s disinfection technology can be applied.
Tewolde GebreMariam, group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, said of the partnership: “With the signing of this MoU, we continue our investment in sustainable hygiene solutions that will benefit not only our staff and passengers, but the entire region. Aero HygenX has developed a phenomenal technology that enhances biosafety onboard – in accordance with our ‘Safety First’ policy – and will help Ethiopian attract more customers for a speedy recovery from the pandemic.”
