Ethiopian Airlines added to Boeing’s Dubai Airshow sales successes with the announcement of firm orders for 20 Boeing 737-8 Maxes and eleven 787-9 airliners, with options for up to 21 more 737s and 25 more 787s. The airline also has contracted Boeing to conduct a major interior refit on its 787 fleet.
Due to scant availability of production slots, deliveries of the new aircraft will not start until 2026, with the last due in 2030. They will follow deliveries of 25 airplanes on order from both Airbus and Boeing set to arrive in Addis Ababa over the next two years. The airline will fill the gap in deliveries by leasing more aircraft in the interim.
The Ethiopian order is highly important in terms of aircraft numbers but it carries perhaps more significance because the airline—which suffered the crash of a Max 8 in March 2019 with the loss of all 157 people on board—has returned to order more of the type. Group CEO Mesfin Tasew said that the accident had left “a big scar in our memory” but in the subsequent period the airline had become confident that “the design defect had been fully corrected by Boeing.”
Already the largest airline in Africa with the youngest fleet, flying more than 140 aircraft serving 133 international destinations, Ethiopian harbors bold ambitions to stand among the world’s top 20 airlines by 2035. It plans to place further orders for both Airbus and Boeing aircraft in the coming years to fulfill that ambition. The airline is considering the Airbus A220 to replace its regional turboprops but has held off on a final decision until powerplant issues get resolved.
The 787 cabin interior deal overseen by Boeing includes a new IFE system from Thales. Ethiopian has chosen a business-class seat from Boeing subsidiary Adient and has formulated a shortlist of three economy-class seats, with a decision due in the next few weeks.