Ethiopian Airlines Group and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have signed an agreement on the IATA Center of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) Live Animals Certification Program that will be the first step to allow the carrier to work with IATA in eventually getting the CEIV certification.

The signing of the CEIV Live Animal Project Initiation took place on June 20 at the sidelines of the IATA Focus Africa Conference hosted by Ethiopian Airlines Group.

"[This] will be a first step to enable Ethiopian work hand-in-hand with IATA in getting CEIV certification which in turn allows our customers to see the global standards and requirements met by Ethiopian while transporting the precious animals we are entrusted with," the announcement said.

As a result, Ethiopian said it would transport live animals with the world's best quality services and standards, and IATA's latest CEIV certification provides confidence for live animal shippers.

The CEIV's certification high standards would also lead to high customer satisfaction.

"The agreement we are signing with IATA on CEIV Live Animals Certification Program ensures our commitment towards demonstrating quality services. We are positive that IATA CEIV Certification, a landmark in the transportation of live animals, will help us improve operation standards, quality management systems, and facility and infrastructure requirements," said Mesfin Tasew, chief executive officer of Ethiopian Airlines Group.

"We would like to assure our customers that Ethiopian will continue to comply with the requirements of IATA that sets the industry’s policy and provides seamless aviation processes," he added.

Ethiopian Cargo and Logistics services carries out the transportation of special cargo like medical products, live animals and perishable products in compliance with international and industry standards.

In recent years, Ethiopian has invested heavily in infrastructure, equipment, people, system, and processes to enhance its special cargo and logistics handling capabilities throughout its network.

Ethiopian Cargo & Logistics Services acquired IATA CEIV Pharma Certificate in December 2021.

"To ensure compliance with the highest standards and continuous improvement, we now signed CEIV Live Animal Project Initiation Agreement with IATA to become a holder of the IATA CEIV Live Animal Certificate, which shows the length we go to assure our customers of the welfare of the animal’s we transport," Ethiopian said in a statement.

It added that after the CEIV Live Animal Certification, Ethiopian will continue to work closely with IATA to follow a harmonized and uniform application of compliance, standardization, accountability, and transparency for the handling of live animals by air.