Ethiopian Airlines Orders A350s

Ethiopian Airlines is strengthening its commitment to the A350 with a new firm order.

The African company has confirmed that it has signed for six more A350-900 jets as part of its efforts to grow its partnership with Airbus and subsequently expand its international operations.

The firm order, which was signed at the Dubai Airshow, was witnessed by Mr Mesfin Tasew, Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO and Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, Airbus EVP Sales of the Commercial Aircraft business.

Ethiopian Airlines has been a long-standing customer of the Airbus A350, the aircraft being a common theme in its operations and that reliance is slated to grow in the future thanks to the latest firm commitment.

We are delighted to expand our Airbus fleet size with this order and strengthen our partnership with the Airbus company. As the continent’s leading airline and the largest operator of the A350, this milestone order further supports our vision to grow sustainably while providing a world-class travel experience to our passengers and strengthening our position as the aviation leader in Africa.

Mr. Mesfin Tasew, Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO

The African carrier’s operational fleet now has a strong composition, focusing on long-range passenger services and comprising Airbus and Boeing aircraft.

With over 20 A350-900s in service, this model has also only recently been complemented by the formal introduction of the high-capacity A350-1000, allowing the airline to serve in-demand cities with a larger type.

Not The Only Ethiopian Airlines Aircraft Order

For Ethiopian Airlines, the strength of its commitment to the A350 family is its second announcement at the Dubai Airshow this year.

On day 1 of the show, the airline confirmed it would exercise options for the popular single-aisle Boeing 737 MAX, ordering 11 units.

Ethiopian Airlines reaffirms its position of having the largest Boeing aircraft backlog of any airline in Africa as it continues to chart a course for growth and be the change Africa needs to secure better connectivity to markets around the world.

The 737 MAX is an aircraft already in airlines’ operations, with 22 MAX jets in service, according to available fleet data, and these have an average age of 3.8 years.

Since taking delivery of the model, despite some unfortunate circumstances, such as a fatal accident which led to a lengthy period of groundings, Ethiopian Airlines has leveraged the model to expand its short to medium haul network, focusing on the Middle East, India, close to home in Africa, and Southern Europe services.