Story ID: 464Fboro18
African Airlines Eye New Aircraft 
By: Kaleyesus Bekele
Caption: It may not have received much attention over recent years, but African airlines are poised to grow and order aircraft.
Word Count: 283
African carriers such as Ethiopian Airlines and Kenya Airways will be looking at new aircraft at the Farnborough Airshow

Africa’s largest airline, Ethiopian Airlines, may announce new orders for the Boeing787 Dreamliner at the show. The airline, which on June 7 received its 100th aircraft, a 787-900, currently operates twenty 787-8s and 787-900s.

Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Tewolde Gebremriam told AIN that Ethiopian has also been looking that 100-seater regional jets. These include Bombardier's C Series CS100 and the Embraer E2. Gebremriam said his airline might announce orders for C Series at the airshow if the airline concludes ongoing talks with Bombardier The carrier is mulling an order of between 10 and 20 regional jets.

Kenya Airways (KQ) will also be looking at new jetliners at Farnborough. Sebastian Mikosz, group managing director and CEO of Kenya Airways, told AIN, “In Farnborough we will be looking at the 737 Max and Embraer. Embraer is our natural continuity,” Mikosz said.

KQ has been operating Embraer E190s and the national carrier contemplates ordering more airplanes from the OEM. “We will also be looking at the Bombardier Q400, because we have started operating Q400s through our subsidiary airline-Jambo. I am not excluding any fleet,” Mikosz told AIN.

The five-year growth plan Mikosz submitted to the board of directors has not yet been approved. But KQ will bring back its five widebody aircraft that it leased out two years ago when the company suffered heavy losses in 2015-2016 fiscal year. The airline leased two 787s to Oman Air and three 777s to Turkish Airlines. KQ will return the widebodies by the end of this year.